AN: Howling Winds
by ZenosParadox
Summary: SPOILERS for Rescue Sasuke Arc. Gaara, Kankuro and Temari help Baki through an Inquisition.
1. Into the West

Summary: How could an evening be boring when Kankuro and Gaara express their adolescence while Temari and Baki babysit the Monkey-king and Pigsy?

Disclaimer: The Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This story was written for personal enjoyment.

**HOWLING WINDS**

_**Into the West**_

Greetings, Miss Kagami,

(I had to write that or Temari was gonna beat me with her tessen. Now she's gone.)

Temari is gonna use her control of wind currents to send the hawk back to you. Gaara's handwriting is better, but he's kinda shy, so I got the job of writing the letter. But I've never written one, so if I mess up, well, just read the dumb thing.

We couldn't believe when we saw the crystal hawk in Baki's hand with the wings still fluttering. It was really clever to tuck a letter in the body. I was impressed by how strong your chakra strings were.

Tell your little cousins that yes, we still remember the great food they made for us. Temari is even wearing that apron-thingy you gave her as armor. Sorry that they pestered you into writing to us, but I'm glad your uncle let you send the letter.

We arrived in time for the Kazekage's funeral, the Council is off our backs, and we're promoted to chunin! We even have legal status as adults, although I like to revert to being a kid. Someone's gotta show Gaara what it's like, after all. I also think Temari needs me to be immature so she can feel needed and put her bossiness to use.

I wanted you to know that the gems are being used to help Suna, both to pay damages to Konoha and to set up programs here for orphans. That's what I wanted you to know so that--well, I just thought it would make you happy. You know, like maybe you'd smile or something?

So, things are settling into a routine for us. Baki, the bully, is pounding on the door before dawn. Why does he do that? I mean, this is his house we're staying at; he's got a key! I think living in the Councilors' quarters makes him grumpy.

Then for the next three hours he's barking orders while we train. I've got a second battle puppet working. Gaara is using his sand for taijutsu strikes and creating some cool looking weapons, too. Temari has gotten good with this flying weasel she summons. Really, it's a deadly little bugger! Funny thing, though, it's got only one good eye like Baki. Hm. Wonder if that means anything?

Yeah, I know, I'm prone to noticing odd things around me, but I figured you already thought I was pretty weird. Know what else I noticed? The fish in the bowl, the one Baki gave to Gaara as an exercise on keeping things alive. There's a little red koi with markings around its eyes just like Gaara's. Honest.

Of course Temari says that the white and blue one has markings that look like my face paints, but I just don't see it. And there's a lionhead goldfish that reminds me of her on account of how she wears her hair. Baki even had names for the fish: _Araiguma_, _Manekinek_o, and _Hanehime_. I've drawn a picture for you so you can see for yourself.

Anyway, unless we're on a mission, we spend a lot of the day helping Baki with paperwork and other administrative duties. It is so mind-numbingly BORING that I've taken to memorizing the sayings that are put at the end of each official document. I don't even know why they're there!

And you can't imagine the complaints that people bring to the Council, like whose boar impregnated which sow or that we should pass a law requiring all windows to be shuttered at night. Just a bunch of dumb things!

The evening hours of training feel good after that, although we come home exhausted. But Baki says suffering is good for the soul, although I think it's more that misery loves company. Maybe that's what inspired the fish? Gaara can stare at them for hours.

Hey, I hope you don't mind the kumadori paint I used on the crystal hawk, but that's what my face looks like when I'm in full battle gear. Have fun harassing your little cousins and give my regards to the old man, I mean, your uncle. Only don't say it that way, okay?

Kankuro

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Sunagakure Mission Desk_

"All night?" Baki looked incredulous. "You can't mean the entire night."

"Baki, read my lips," chided Hiroko. "Aaaaall niiiiight!"

Baki crossed his arms. "No, we can't do it. It's not respectable for a young lady to stay out all night alone with a man."

"Alone! You and Temari will be babysitting! Do you honestly think anyone would believe you had time to ravish the girl while my babies are in your care?" Hiroko clutched the lapel of his vest in desperation. "Why do you think Yura and I are checking into the inn for a night? I swear, we have to sneak around like teenagers when we take a break at work to--"

"Oh, please, no more details." Baki actually winced. "Fine, although I'm tempted to bring Gaara instead of Temari."

"The poor boy has Shukaku to deal with; he doesn't need my little demons on top of that," said Hiroko. "And don't even think of Kankuro! I can just imagine my little angels with purple paint on their faces, using chakra strings from their cribs--no! His influence would just be too much. I need someone settled, someone--"

"Boring?" inserted Baki.

"Someone strong enough to hold their wriggling butts and someone scary enough to keep them in line. That fits you and Temari perfectly. Oh, and did I tell you they're crawling now?"

Baki could feel the blood drain from his face.

- - - - - - - -

_The Cottage_

Temari and Baki agreed to consider the babysitting stint as a regular mission assignment, although one that meant no weapons except for a small paper fan. They both were dressed in the standard uniform sans vest with black slacks and shirt with netted sleeves. The girl shifted the backpack that held change of clothing and hand puppets that Kankuro had made for entertaining the twins.

"Strong and scary?" repeated Temari "Who is who, exactly?"

"Hiroko didn't specify, so we'll take turns," replied Baki. "Why didn't you tell me the twins were crawling?"

"That's news to me, too. A certain tyrannical Wind Sword has been swamping us with work and training," reminded Temari. She sighed, "The past two months have gone by so fast."

"The Council thinks that's sufficient time to consider this Council-rule idea a success," said Baki in a skeptical tone.

"Sure, as long as Team Baki is doing all the administrative work and they just listen to reports, it's a great system. But if we face any new crisis, chaos will ensue. "

"Sunagakure needs a leader," said Baki firmly.

"Have you ever considered achieving Kazekage?" asked Temari.

"You're kidding?" Baki literally stopped and looked at her. "I barely managed to keep my own team alive and that was more a result of your own talent and self-reliance." He turned his gaze away from her when he added softly, "You'll do fine without me."

Baki began walking again, but seemed to fall into a pensive mood. Temari was a little disturbed by that last comment, so she decided to pry a bit.

"I saw the messenger bird from Konoha, but you haven't said a word about the Council meeting."

Baki's silence persisted to the point that Temari thought he had not heard her, but he finally answered. "The new Hokage has been installed. It's the Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin. That means the blood diamonds can be delivered in the next month."

"But that's good! Kankuro can't wait to get rid of them."

"The three of you will go as escort," assured Baki. He chose his next words carefully. "Konoha also wants the Sand nin who killed one of the Leaf proctors."

"That's like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, that shinobi likely died during the invasion; we lost half the contingent. Konoha will understand," said Temari as she considered the odds of finding the one responsible.

"I expect Konoha will be satisfied," offered Baki.

Temari's gaze scanned the night sky. "I hope the boys will be all right by themselves at the house. It is a full moon tonight."

"It's good for your brothers to have time alone. Kankuro has the toughest job of all."

"What's that?"

"He has to learn to be Gaara's best friend."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_The Cliff House_

"All right! This is the ultimate dream, Gaara!"

"It is?"

"No Sensei, no sister, just us guys. It's a perfect world. Look, we can stay up all night--"

"I already stay up all night."

"Yeah, but not for fun!"

"I watch my fish."

"See, this is why you need this night. Consider it a lesson in expressing your adolescence and, Gaara, watching fish ain't part of it."

"Oh. Adolescence is more complicated than I thought."

"First we start by eating any junk food that we want."

"Why?"

"Because we won't have Temari needling us about eating our vegetables," insisted Kankuro. "Then, we can--"

"Won't all that junk food give you indigestion?"

"No pain, no gain, bro," Kankuro said sagely. "Anyway, then we can create our own puppet show with drama and violence and wild sound effects--and sand effects, even."

"You'll let me touch your puppets?" asked Gaara a bit skeptically.

"Uh, well, you do the staging and the special effects--"

"I want a puppet," insisted Gaara. He crossed his arms and tried very hard not to scare his brother as Shukaku was prodding him to do, but still, he wanted a puppet.

"All right, how about I help you make your own puppet? I've got some spare parts," said Kankuro. Actually, he had a lot of spare parts, as Temari constantly complained.

"I accept. Can it look like a bear?"

"A bear? Well, I don't have fur for it, but yeah, we can make it look like a bear, just one with no hair. "

"A bald bear?"

"We can call it Fuzzy Wuzzy to compensate," assured Kankuro. "Now, let's start with the one million flavors of popcorn. First up, _ogure_!"

Gaara followed his brother to the kitchen. He never appreciated before how Kankuro was an adventure in his own right.

- - - - - - - -

_The Cottage_

_Pant, pant, scrich, scrich. _

"I think Taro is part monkey," muttered Baki as he pulled the climbing boy off of the back of the couch.

_Pant, pant, putter, putter._

"I think Jiro is part javelina," called Temari as Jiro used the distraction to scurry away from the designated area to sprint for the bathroom. Indeed, the boy strongly reminded her of the little swine used for racing in Suna.

"Herd him into the kitchen; we need to feed them anyway," called Baki as Taro suddenly stretched forward and grabbed on tightly to a passing shelf.

"All right, it says we feed the boys the baby food then let them have a bottle," read Temari.

"Sounds simple enough. Ah, I like this. We actually can tie them down to the high chairs." Baki smiled while he strapped them in.

Obviously the boys had a lot of talent as escape artists because the straps were no sooner tightened than they wriggled out of the restraints and slid down the leg of the high chair.

_Pant, pant, putter, putter._

"Head them off at the door," called Temari as she slid across the floor to grab Jiro.

When Baki nabbed Taro, he sat cross-legged on the floor and pulled the boy to his lap. He suggested, "We'll take turns feeding them. I'll take first watch."

Temari fed Jiro and missed all the action between Baki and Taro where the jonin was constantly dodging the boy's eager fingers. The drape across his face was wonderfully tempting and the boy squealed in glee every time he made a swipe at the target.

Temari took Jiro into the living room to feed him his bottle while the jonin stuffed the food into Taro's face quickly. This went smoothly--for a while.

_Ptew._

Baki wiped Taro's face after the boy demonstrated his ability to spew baby food back at his caretaker. The jonin's Wind Shield jutsu was coming in handy.

"Baki!"

Baki picked up his charge and ventured into the living room. He could see Temari shaking with laughter while Jiro appeared to be nuzzling her neck.

"Help me!" called Temari. The combination of the baby's soft breath and soft skin at her neck left her paralyzed with laughter.

"I don't see the problem. Is he biting you?"

"My neck," said Temari. "Tickles! Hurry, can't move."

"Paralysis by tickling? Sounds like a jutsu," muttered Baki as he carried Taro with one arm. He snatched Jiro from Temari's neck and plopped him onto her lap.

Jiro squealed in delight which spurred Taro to bounce up and down in Baki's arm to grab the drape across his face.

"Let go or I'm feeding you the rest of the eggplant instead of your bottle," warned Baki. Although he knew the boy was pre-verbal, the word eggplant obviously had negative associations because Taro let go and looked up at the jonin with wide eyes.

"Baki, you should just cover your bad eye with your head protector unless you want him tugging at it all night."

"Think so?" asked Baki as he juggled Taro who was now trying to crawl up his arm to get to the fabric.

"I'd advise leaving it off entirely," said Temari, "but protector-as-eye-patch works for Konoha's Copy Ninja."

Jiro was now trying to leap out of Temari's arm to help his brother unwrap Baki. The jonin knew a lost cause when he saw it. "Come on, Monkey-boy, you can drink your bottle as soon as I remove your target."

"And don't call him Monkey-boy," chastised Temari.

"Fine, he'll be Monkey-king," replied Baki as he walked away.

When Jiro tried to plunge out of her hands to go with his brother, Temari said, "Hang on, Pigsy, no racing off."

Jiro merely burped loudly in response, grabbed his bottle and leaned angelically against Temari to finish it. Now the girl understood why Hiroko vacillated between describing the twins as angels and demons.

Baki returned with Taro in his arms already sucking down his bottle. The jonin felt a bit self-conscious without the drape, but Temari had seen his scars before. He sat down in the armchair with Taro who seemed to be humming as he drank his bottle.

"The next thing on the list is a bath." Temari spoke softly so as not to disturb the calm of the moment. There was something relaxing about holding a warm little body.

"Perfect, a warm bath should keep them settled," predicted Baki.

Of course, Baki was wrong. He and Temari soon learned that the boys liked to kick their legs to splash in synchrony. If not for his Wind Shield jutsu, the man would have been soaked.

"So much for a bachelor's wisdom. They're even more hyper!" Temari then shrieked as Jiro almost slipped out of her hands when she felt the water soak through her shirt. The boy had the presence of mind to grab the nearest handy-hold on her chest.

"Get him off," pleaded Temari with a squeak of pain as a flush of embarrassment flooded her face.

"That's no way to treat a lady," chided Baki as he loosened the boy's grip while trying not to touch Temari.

She pulled back with a sigh and proclaimed. "Bubbles! Kankuro always loved bubbles. Here, use that bottle. I have to change shirts."

Temari came back to find the tub filled with bubbles and the boys giggling with glee as Baki created large bubbles with a wind jutsu. Their little hands would reach out to grab the sphere then _pop_!

"Don't they ever get tired of this?" asked Baki thirty minutes later.

"We better take them out; they're starting to look like prunes," observed Temari.

"Better prunes than monkeys," muttered Baki.

"The list says we put them in their pajamas and tell them a story. But, first thing is to get the diapers on."

"I'll dry, you diaper, I'll dress them."

"Why doesn't that sound equitable?" frowned Temari. "Let's see, the pajamas are in this drawer marked with their names. Who knew? Monkeys for Taro and pigs for Jiro."

"Take the piglet first," said Baki.

She accepted Jiro, put him on a plush towel on the floor, and shrieked. "It's a fountain!"

"Temari, please tell me you're really not that naïve about male anatomy?"

"I swear he did that on purpose, " grumbled Temari as the boy chuckled. Then she smiled, "Guess who gets to bathe Pigsy again? Come here, Monkey-king, you're nice and dry--and now I know how to keep you that way."

Jiro was happy to be dunked in the water again, except this time Baki couldn't shield himself against the exuberant splashing.

"Let's get the bathroom cleaned up. Hiroko is a neat freak," reminded Baki once the boys were tucked into their sleepers.

While the adults tidied up, the boys crawled away from their caretakers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The Cliff House_

Sand smashed through 'evil' puppets, all snakes, and lifted Fuzzy Wuzzy to safety. The piscine audience in the fishbowl was sufficiently impressed to hover at the back of the aquarium.

_Glub, glub, glub._

"You're a great special effects guy, Gaara," said Kankuro sincerely.

"I am?" Gaara looked at his brother in surprise.

"Well, sure, the sand was handled perfectly. A lot of excitement with minimal mess. I think all that finesse work that Baki's having you do is paying off."

Gaara was suddenly struck with a feeling he found difficult to label. Pride? "You think I'm good at it? As good as your are with your stories?"

"You really think my stories are good?"

"You really think my effects are good?"

Kankuro suddenly laughed, but rather than feeling disturbed, Gaara felt the urge to join in. His was quiet laughter, not the loud chuckles of his brother, but it still felt vastly different than rage, especially on a moonlit night.

"You know, if we ever give up being shinobi, we can just start our own traveling puppet show," said Kankuro as a hand dropped to his brother's shoulder and gently squeezed.

Gaara's sand armor began to cover the skin of his shoulder reflexively, but he made a conscious effort to push it back this time. This touch was not aggressive; it was a welcome invasion of his personal space, like when Temari ruffled his hair. He now understood why Kankuro put up with that maneuver from their sister. Like their Sensei, the Siblings were not overtly affectionate, but that meant that a simple touch reflected a deep emotion.

Now Gaara could understand the signals that had always been around him. The bumping battles between Temari and Kankuro meant they trusted each other. The hand Baki offered to them when they were lying defeated on the ground meant they could count on him.

Kankuro dampened his surprise when he felt Gaara's hand touching his shoulder in return. The hand tightened for just a moment as Gaara said, "Temari could ventilate the audience, except without wearing the tortoise shell."

Kankuro broke out laughing again. "Naw, we'd make her wear one just for old-times sake!"

Gaara's lips curled up at the thought of that image.

"Hm, I'm thirsty. Let's go to the concession stand at the mall and see what's going on," suggested Kankuro as he referred to the one lawn of grass that existed in Sunagakure. "If we run we can get there before they close at midnight."

Kankuro was already heading out the door with a merry whistle. Gaara had little choice but to follow.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_The Cottage_

It had taken an hour of an impromptu hide-and-seek to finally arrest the twins' path of destruction through the house. Temari kept dashing behind furniture to chase the little urchins out of their latest hiding place, often using a controlled gust of wind from a paper fan to shoo them out. The boys actually enjoyed the current and tumbled happily along.

Baki felt like a juggler as he used all his agility and chakra-string control to prevent various household goods from tumbling out of cabinets when the boys climbed to higher ground. "We need to draw their attention somehow."

"I've got it! Kankuro sent hand puppets." Temari crawled to her backpack and pulled out four puppets. "Do you want to do the puppets or the voices?"

"Puppets," Baki said immediately. He found Temari's voice rather pleasant and didn't want to miss an opportunity to listen to her. He thought of Konoha's demands and pushed back the lingering regret.

"Let's see. The puppets are--the Monkey King," said Temari with a grin. "Who knew Kankuro was omniscient?"

"He hides it well," agreed Baki. "Right, we'll do Saiyuki. Into the west we go."

"I'm losing my voice," grumbled Temari an hour later as she let her head fall back onto the sofa. This was a mistake because Jiro used it to his advantage to hug her. She was pinned by the soft cheek tickling her neck again. She was barely able to hiss, "Get him off!"

"How can your neck be so sensitive?" wondered Baki aloud as he yanked Jiro away. He glanced at the lovely expanse of skin now exposed and wished the Kazekage were alive to dope slap him. Instead he murmured to Jiro, "I'm on to you, you little masher. We'll let Temari play with Taro."

It wasn't long before Temari was demanding they trade again. "Taro keeps climbing on my head and pulling my ponytails! At least your head is shaved."

"Great, he uses me for percussion," muttered Baki, but gave up Jiro.

"That's it, we'll try some soft music to calm them down." Temari rose to turn on the radio and a soft melody filled the room.

Of course, she could barely hear it over the raucous tumbling and shrieking of the boys. They gave no indication that Slumber was their friend. Now they were barreling towards each other at a fast crawl, all the while panting heavily.

Temari looked tentatively over at Baki who said, "No, we can't smash their heads together to knock them out."

"How does anyone survive being a parent?" sighed Temari.

"Grandfather always said it was the thought of payback that kept him alive," replied Baki with a nod.

"Waah!" "Waah!"

"What?"

"Well, although we can't knock their heads together, they can," said Temari as she rushed to pick up Jiro. "Poor baby has a boo-boo."

Jiro suddenly perked up and blinked charmingly at Temari.

"The little faker! He just wants you to kiss it to make it better," observed Baki. Taro, on the other hand, was now hiccuping as he squelched his crying.

Temari gave Jiro a little smooch on the forehead and said, "A little kiss never hurt. What are you going to do about those hiccups?"

"I'll use Grandmother's tried and true recipe: pickle juice."

- - - - - - - - - -

_The Sunagakure Mall Lawn_

"Pickle juice? You want me to mix pickle juice with the three other syrups?" The girl operating the fountain concession cast a dubious glance at Kankuro.

"It adds just the right zest," replied Kankuro smoothly. He saw Gaara's eyebrow quirk up.

"This complements your one million flavors of popcorn, I see," said Gaara.

"Variety is the spice of life," said Kankuro as he lifted his cup to take a drink.

In the next moment, it splattered all over him as three young men riding boars pulled to a stop on the lawn and bumped into him. The Suna riding boars were easily the size of a horse, but wider, meaner--and randier, hence were prohibited from being ridden in the village.

"Can't hold your drink, boy?" asked the rider as he slid off of the massive beast.

The two companions also dismounted and laughed as their leader continued his taunts. "You need to grow up and quit playing with dolls and makeup, Kankuro."

Kankuro recognized the Daimyo's oldest son, Naikou, as he wiped his face. Naikou then turned to Gaara and said, "So you're the Sand freak. What's wrong, boy? Too dumb to speak for yourself?"

Kankuro registered the sand beginning to swirl around Gaara and said quietly as he turned to his brother. "Chill, Gaara. Words can't hurt us. Now, get ready to go for a ride, understand?"

Kankuro waited for Gaara's nod and the sand subsided. The Puppeteer, who still had liquid in his cup, turned to Naikou. "I think you're the one who's still wet behind the ears."

Kankuro poured the drink on top of Naikou's head with one hand while he used chakra strings to capture the boar. "Now!"

Gaara caught one of the other boars in a sand harness and jumped on his back. Soon he and Kankuro were bouncing away on the porcine mounts, much to the chagrin of Naikou and his cohorts. The rest of the bystanders, however, were laughing heartily.

_Boing, boing, boing._

"Where are we going?"

"Hell if I know!" replied Kankuro as his swiney steed decided to head into the west and the outskirts of the village. They could see the inn and the bridge across the dry gulch beyond it.

_Boing, boing, boing._

"So you have no plan?"

"I've got lots of plans; I just don't know which one to use! Suuuweee!"

_Rumba, rumba, rumba._

Gaara looked over his shoulder to find three youths crowded onto the back of the third boar. The creature did not look happy. "They're following us."

Kankuro looked back and tsked. "That is one sad swine, bro. We'll jump off at the bridge after the inn. I think I know where these boars are heading."

At the moment they rode past the inn, Hiroko opened her eyes and realized the top window was open. She saw something resembling the shadow of two heads whose outline looked rather familiar, except for the bouncing. Oh, wait, that was her! She grinned slyly to look down at Yura. "There's nothing like a midnight ride!"

Unfortunately, Gaara and Kankuro both had recognized the couple they had glimpsed when the bouncing boars gait put their gaze level with the window. They now turned to each other with mouths wide open.

"Wuzzat?" This, surprisingly enough, was all Gaara could emit.

"Damn! Baki's been holding out on us."

"About?"

"Sex. Did that look or sound like rutting pigs to you?" asked Kankuro.

"Can I wait until I'm older to answer that?"

"Fine, but at the count of three, we jump onto the wall of the bridge. These boars are heading to the pigsty on the other side of the gulch."

"How do you know?" asked Gaara as he leapt off to join his brother. Indeed, the boars, now free of their weight, picked up speed and ran directly for the pigsty.

"Watch." Kankuro led Gaara around to a vantage point where they saw the boars jump over the fence to converge on the sows.

"Oh," was all Gaara could think of to say.

"It gets even better.," predicted Kankuro.

And indeed, the last boar had suddenly picked up the speed of a locomotive with its three riders hanging on for dear life.

_Rumba, rumba, rumba, squee, sqee._

"Oh, now, that is ug-lee," said Kankuro with a grimace. "Payback feels good, doesn't it?"

Gaara looked at the three youths who were having trouble escaping from the orgy in the pigsty. A layer of mud was already dripping from each of them as they rolled through.

"Kankuro? You're a genius."

"Why thanks, bro. Couldn't have done it without you." Kankuro stretched and asked, "Give me a ride on the sand carpet?"

Gaara complied and soon the two brothers were hovering over Naikou's gang who finally made it to the fence. They leaned against it panting with mud dripping not only from their clothes, but their faces.

"Hey, Naikou, I'm flattered by the mimicry, but really, kumadori paints are classier than a mud mask. Well, gotta go. Now this is the way to travel!"

Naikou and his friends watched with envy as Kankuro waved to them on a flying sand of carpet. The two brothers made a striking silhouette against the full moon.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The Cottage_

"What?" Baki jerked awake as he realized he'd fallen asleep sitting on the couch. Wait. It was--quiet.

He blinked for a moment until he became sufficiently coherent to make sense of the silence. There was a weight on his chest. He peered down to find Taro drooling on him while he slept. Good, although the faint odor of pickle juice wafted in the air.

The jonin then tried to shift his legs, but found himself pinned. For some incomprehensible reason, Jiro had decided that Baki's legs were the perfect perch for sleeping, tummy side down with arms and legs draped on either side.

And that's when Baki caught sight of Temari. She was holding his ankles in her lap while her other rested on Jiro's back, ostensibly to keep him from falling. Her head turned as she murmured, "Take that, Shadow boy..."

Baki scanned her face and his glance fell to the boys with them. For a moment, he could well imagine what his life would have been like if he had followed a different path. His eye drifted shut again and he enjoyed a most pleasant dream.

But Konoha awaited him and they wanted the murderer of Hayate Gekko. Konoha would be satisfied.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Noon at Cliff House_

"So, how'd the babysitting mission go?" asked Kankuro when Temari finally woke up at lunch time.

"It was interesting. Definitely put me off marriage and family," said Temari. Although there were those little moments when holding the babies had been--nice. "Sharing the burden with Baki made it bearable. I don't know how Hiroko does it, though. So how was your evening?"

Gaara looked at his brother who now had a quirk to his eyebrow. Temari could see the faintest upturn on the redhead's face as he said, "It was, er, boaring."

Their sister was exasperated when Kankuro doubled over in mirth.

_End Chapter 1_

**Author Notes:**

This story begins with a letter to an OC the Sand Siblings met at a place I created in Suna called the Crystal Caves. I simply used it as a device to recap events for those readers who haven't read Dry Winds (Story 1:pre-Chunin exams) or Forceful Winds (Story 2: Chunin exams). Howling Winds (post-Chunin exams) will cover events where the sibs encounter their Konoha counterparts.

I thought Baki would make good on an earlier promise to get Gaara a fishbowl. After some searching, I came up with the names of _Araiguma _(common raccoon to be distinguished from the raccoon dog _tanuki_ that is the basis of Shukaku_); Manekinek_o (beckoning cat, porcelain cat with raised paw, sounded like a chakra string user) and _Hanehime _(feather, plume, wing; blade or fan as in propeller; sounds pretty, so I used it).

Taro is first son and Jiro is second son. Not too creative, but I think Hiroko was exhausted after the labor they put her through. The Monkey and Pig nicknames kept popping up for the twins, then when I looked up details of the Monkey King, I also found Pigsy. Saiyuki is a real set of stories also referred to as Into the West.

I wanted to highlight an evening with just the brothers. Although Naruto was the catalyst, it's clear to me that it's Kankuro who is the real 'teacher' for Gaara in the art of being human. I realize that Gaara winds up asking a lot of questions, but I also think this would be a necessary part of his growth. So on the field of battle, Gaara leads. In the more trivial aspects of life, Kankuro is in charge.

And yes, the boar riding was inspired by Ganju and company from Bleach (except Ganju is way cooler than this Naikou character, which is an adjective for arrogant).

Babies. Most are easy and fun; these twins are a handful. By the way, I have been personally trapped by a baby nuzzling my neck (very ticklish). Also, I can vouch for pickle juice as a hiccup remedy.

I don't think it was widely known that Baki was the one who killed Hayate Gekko. His last meeting with the 'Kazekage' was focused on the invasion plans. So, let's see what happens when the team gets back to Konoha--conveniently in time to help the Leaf nins fight Sound.

Thank you for checking out the story and reading. Reviews are warmly welcomed, but not necessary. This story will be finished, although it might take up to 3 weeks between updates. I'm hoping for more like 2 weeks.


	2. A Man of Honor

Summary: Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari escort the blood diamonds to Konoha--and the assassin, Baki.

**HOWLING WINDS**  
_**A Man of Honor**_

_Sunakagure_

Temari was determined to unravel the mystery around Baki's behavior of late. Whenever the subject turned to Konoha, a fleeting expression of sadness would pass across his features before he quickly restored his impassive mask. The young kunoichi had decided that something--or someone--important waited for him in Konohagakure.

Subtle interrogation of her clueless brothers had been fruitless. Temari was now meeting Hiroko at a tea house for some quiet time away from duties and to pry some information from Baki's oldest friend. She used the excuse of it being her sixteenth birthday to coax the chunin to leave the mission desk. It was the only celebration she expected today.

"Hiroko, has Baki talked to you about the Konoha invasion?" Temari sipped at her tea as she turned the conversation to the topic of interest.

"He's described the matches all of you had during the chunin exams and the Hokage's death to me. Other than that, his general impression of Konoha was green, humid, and full of good looking women."

"I see." That last statement verified Temari's suspicions. "He hasn't mentioned anything outside of the exams?"

Hiroko suddenly laughed. "He did describe a fight in a bar involving a kunoichi. A proctor, I think. What did he call her? Trenchcoat Chick."

"Trenchcoat Chick?" echoed Temari with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she forced a laugh before she changed the subject to the twins so that her mind could wander while Hiroko rambled about her children.

It was worse than Temari thought. Trenchcoat Chick had to be the proctor from the Forest of Death. And the information fit with the gossip she had heard when she'd visited the hot springs at Konoha. She just hadn't realized the Sand nin defending the honor of his lady love was her Sensei!

Temari felt her protective streak rise. She was determined that her brothers wouldn't fall prey to a pretty brainless twit or a suffocating clinging vine or a lusty lunatic or any other form the predatory female could take. She realized her attitude also extended to protecting Baki.

She would find a way to safeguard the jonin from his own foolishness and make sure he didn't set foot in Fire Country. The woman from Konoha who wanted Baki would just have to deal with disappointment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Konohagakure_

Her heart stopped every time she saw the last image of her lover on the monitor. The tape showed him on the rooftop facing a threat. Then just for a moment, the opponent turned so that the light glinted off the head protector of a rather tall man. In that instant, the insignia on the metal was clearly outlined in the images captured by the weather camera. Yugao Uzuki stopped the tape and willed herself to see the man's features, but he remained a shadow. The two men soon left the frame of the weather camera.

Sand nin. It was the only clue to Hayate's killer, but sufficient for Konoha to demand that Suna deliver the assassin.

"It's not healthy to constantly review that tape," cautioned Shizune as she entered her cubicle by the Hokage's office. It wasn't the first time she'd had to chase Yugao away from the monitor. "For all you know, Hayate's killer died in the invasion."

"No, he's out there somewhere," insisted Yugao as she clicked off the power. The image was burned into her memory anyway. "I can feel it."

"It could be a trick from Orochimaru," suggested Shizune. "Sound wouldn't want Konoha to re-ally with Suna. Why go to the trouble of sending us this information but then not name the Sand nin other than to foster suspicion?"

"I think it's a good idea to test Suna's honesty," said Yugao defensively. "I just wish I could be here when the Sand nins respond, but I've got a new mission."

"We've all got mission assignments," sighed Shizune. She grabbed the flak vest that she had left and shrugged into it. Yugao's obsession was heartbreaking to witness, but there was no time for even some basic counseling. "How can we believe anything Kabuto says, especially the note that accompanied this tape? He's a heartless traitor."

"It makes sense that Hayate caught him relaying invasion plans to a Sand nin," argued Yugao. "I know Hayate was looking for Kabuto."

"So that makes Kabuto the most likely killer," proposed Shizune. "He enjoys mutilation."

"Our experts have verified that this tape isn't doctored. A Sand nin was chasing Hayate, not Kabuto!"

"Do you really believe that drivel Kabuto wrote? 'I could not kill someone I had treated as a medic nin, especially Hayate Gekko.'"

"Everyone loved Hayate!" Yugao voice was angry as she rose.

Shizune put a hand on the ANBU's shoulder. "You loved Hayate, Yugao. Kabuto is incapable of it."

- - - - - - - - - -

_Sunagakure_

"Let's get on the road, boys!" Temari's voice rang through the house.

"What's the rush? Konoha doesn't hold fond memories, you know," grumbled Kankuro as he finished wrapping his puppets.

Temari shut her fan with a loud snap. "No, it doesn't, but Gaara is interested in meeting that Naruto kid again. I can't say I'd mind a chance to show that Shadow Boy a thing or two."

"Crushing out on him, huh?" teased Kankuro. "You know with your status as an adult, he's jail bait."

"Augh! How dare you suggest--" Temari clubbed her brother with her closed fan only to find she was whacking a shadow clone.

The real Kankuro sauntered into the living room. "Thanks, sis, I was wondering if I could throw my voice to my clone."

"Don't use me to test your little jokes," warned Temari as she poked his stomach with the point of her fan. "Where's Gaara?"

"He's checking on his fish."

"He's really getting obsessed with them," murmured Temari.

"Gaara's just intense," shrugged Kankuro, "which is a sight better than being psychopathic--or did Baki say psychotic?"

"Both. Psychotic psychopath," reminded Temari. She shrugged into her backpack and added, "I'm glad we're finally getting rid of these blood diamonds. They've been a nuisance."

"Yeah, but look on the bright side. Suna now has two dozen fewer thieves than before." Kankuro had been keeping a head count on those foolish enough to try to steal the enormous diamonds.

"I only account for half of those," reminded Gaara as he entered. His siblings and sensei were responsible for the rest. "Let's go. I want these diamonds in Konoha."

"So, do you think Baki will make it back from the Crystal Caves in time to join us? He's been gone two days already," asked Kankuro as he fell in step with Temari behind Gaara. "Can't blame him for ditching the paperwork, though."

"He hasn't sent a wind whisper, so I'd say no," offered Temari. She had been relieved when Baki had announced his mission, but then she had a growing suspicion about it being a ruse to sneak into Konoha. She was eager to get on the trail to ease her mind. "We can handle this assignment without him. He has no business going to Konoha."

"I don't know about that. Baki said there were some nice looking kunoichi in the Leaf Village," smirked Kankuro.

"Right, like that weird proctor at the Forest of Death," scoffed Temari.

"Hey, she was cute in a freaky sort of way," defended Kankuro just to disagree with his sister, but he quickly changed the topic. "I'm glad we were able to shove the paperwork off to the rest of the Council for a week. Of course, I left a few surprises for them among the scrolls, but the ink is water soluble so should wash off eventually." Kankuro then grinned. "Of course, with it being red, they might mistake it for blood."

"How do you find the time to set up all your little pranks?" asked Gaara as he eased his pace to talk to his brother.

"I have my priorities," assured Kankuro. "I still hope we run into Baki heading back to the village, though. I'd like to know how things are at the Crystal Caves."

"Are you expecting Kagami to send something for you?" asked Temari in order to get payback for being teased about the Shadow Boy. "I know you gave Baki a puppet that looked like you to take to her."

"Hey, there were three puppets and I made them look like the three of us!" Kankuro was glad the face paint hid his blush. He muttered, "They're for keeping her little cousins entertained."

Temari grinned. "I thought it was sweet of you."

"Really?" asked Kankuro as he turned to his sister. "I've never had girl friend before--"

"Kagami is your girlfriend?" The question came from Gaara. He sounded hopeful at this opportunity to learn something new.

"I meant that she's a girl and that most of my friends aren't girls and that since girls are such strange creatures--Ah, to hell with it. I don't know what I'm saying."

"That's nothing new," teased Temari, but knew when to drop the subject. She bumped into her brother and said, "Hey, I'm sure Kagami loved the puppets."

"Yeah?"

"She's a practical, sensible sort of person, a lot like me," explained Temari confidently. She had no fear Kagami would fall for her brother since the girl thought he was pretty weird.

Kankuro smiled a bit as part of him realized that Kagami held Temari's approval. For some reason, it was important, but he'd think about that later. At the moment, he challenged, "Race you to border!"

The three figures were soon a blur skimming across the sand as they made their way to Konoha.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Suna Border_

Baki waited patiently as the familiar shapes came into view. Gaara was in the lead with Temari and Kankuro flanking him. All three of them were magnificent shinobi and he felt a sense of pride to think he had been their sensei.

He heard Temari call his name in a wind whisper and replied in kind, "Hello, Temari. I'm going with you to Konoha."

Even from the distance he could gauge her mood. He wasn't surprised when she reached him before her brothers, but her angry confrontation was an uncharacteristic greeting.

"Baki, why are you here? Why do you need to go to Konoha? We're not fools to embarrass Suna or children who need to be watched."

By the time Temari had finished her tirade, Kankuro and Gaara arrived. They looked at each other in confusion since they didn't have the advantage of hearing the wind whisper.

"I am going to Konoha, but my purpose there is not to monitor your activities," explained Baki calmly.

"Then why--"

"Hey, lay off, sis! A man has a right to privacy," chided Kankuro. "I'm glad you're going with us, Baki."

Temari glared at her brother, but stepped back with her lips pressed into a thin line.

"What's the situation at the Crystal Caves? Is there any trouble?" asked Gaara.

"All is well with the Shugyoku clan. They're now officially registered as Suna born which is the first step in rejoining society. A courier is carrying the scrolls to Sunagakure," assured Baki. He was relieved to see Temari smile at the news. Obviously her ill will at the moment only extended to him. "The Council won't know until the next census comes around in two years. By then you all should be jonin with influence of your own on the Council."

"So, ahem, did, uh, you know, the puppets?" Kankuro uncharacteristically stammered his question.

Although Baki was tempted to tease the boy, he relented after a brief silence. "Kagami sends her appreciation and her own tokens to all of you."

Baki searched through the pockets of the overcoat he wore and it was at this point that Temari noted that he wasn't wearing his flak vest. In fact, he didn't appear to be carrying any weapons.

"Kagami said that water would activate the chakra strings she used for the glass fish," said Baki as he gave the item to Gaara.

The red head held it in his palm while Kankuro and Temari peered at it.

"Hey, it's got a long dorsal fin that drapes over the left eye! And the markings on its face--it's like Baki," noted Kankuro. He looked up at the jonin. "I think you've been immortalized in glass, except in a fishy sorta way."

"I'll name him Katsugan," said Gaara solemnly.

"Hn." Baki next gave Kankuro a scroll "Kagami said the scroll explains the prism that's rolled inside of it."

Kankuro took the scroll and tucked it away. At Temari's curious glance, he just shrugged and said, "Like I said, a man's entitled to some privacy. So what did Kagami send for Temari?"

"She was going to make a glass fan, but I thought you would prefer this instead," explained Baki as he extended a crystal bud to the kunoichi. "It will bloom if you let sunlight strike it for ten consecutive days. Or at least, she hopes that's how it will work."

"I'll wait until we get home to activate it. We can put it in the garden next to the desert rose," said Temari as she carefully accepted the token and stored the crystal bud in her pack. When she looked at Baki, a hint of sorrow touched his countenance, but he extinguished it when he noticed her scrutiny.

"We can make it to Konohagakure tonight if we hurry," urged Gaara. "Let's go."

Gaara found Kankuro at his side while Temari ran beside Baki. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before she spoke. "I hate it when you do this."

"Do what?" he asked cautiously.

"When you hide behind your mask. It means you don't trust me," she replied simply. "I know Konoha has been on your mind for a while and that it has nothing to do with the blood diamonds. Are you afraid I'll talk you out of doing something foolish?"

"Temari, I just have personal business to attend to in Konoha."

"More like a personal interest," huffed Temari as her frustration rose. "I heard the rumors about you and that exam proctor during the chunin exams. It was the juiciest gossip at the hot springs."

She took Baki's incredulous silence for confirmation and continued. "You're going back to see her, aren't you? Stupid Trenchcoat Chick! I can't believe you'd fall for a crazy, blood-licking sadist--even if she is a jonin!"

"Don't hold back, Temari, tell me what you really think," muttered Baki sarcastically. He had never heard her spewing such venom about--anyone. Even the Shadow Boy was never so denigrated.

"I hope she chokes on those dangos she's constantly stuffing in her face and that the stick gets shoved through her freaking heart!" With that comment, Temari increased her pace to catch up with her brothers--then she outran them.

Perplexed by their sister's behavior, Kankuro and Gaara slipped back to join Baki.

"Dude, what did you say to piss her off?"

"I think it started with hello," offered Baki by way of explanation. He was still baffled about how Temari put him together with the Trenchcoat Chick.

"So what are you gonna do to make up with her?" asked Kankuro.

"My plan is to avoid your sister like the plague and let her burn off her anger with a hard run."

"Think that will work? I don't want to let an angry Temari loose on Konoha, you know. She's liable to hunt down the Shadow Boy and whip the wind out of him."

"Keep her away from the woman who was a proctor for the chunin exams," added Baki.

"The Trenchcoat Chick? Yeah, Temari definitely didn't like her," agreed Kankuro, but then warned, "But I'm stuffing Temari in Kuraori if she's still having a hissy fit when we get to the Leaf Village."

"I can encase her in sand," offered Gaara. His companions looked at him sharply. "What? I won't close my fist."

Kankuro gave a thumbs up to that plan before turning to Baki again. "You really do have a way with the fairer sex."

"What's fair about being a female?" asked Gaara. This entire conservation was a unique opportunity for him. He felt like--one of the guys?

"They're not fair like giving-a-guy-an-even-chance-at-figuring-out-what's-on-their-mind sort of fair. You know how Temari is. It means girls-are-prettier-than-guys fair." Kankuro felt like the wise older brother until Gaara asked his next question.

"But in Konoha they called the Uchiha and the Hyuuga genin pretty boys," reminded Gaara. "Does that mean they're part of the fairer sex?"

"No, it just means they're constantly surrounded by weak-willed girls," inserted Baki.

"Ah," said Gaara with enlightenment. "I'm glad I'm not a pretty boy, then."

Baki and Kankuro exchanged a glance. The younger boy had undergone a growth spurt recently and his face was losing the childlike qualities in exchange for rather handsome features.

Kankuro leaned into Baki for advice. "Should we tell him?"

"No, let him live in ignorant bliss for a while longer," suggested Baki.

"So even older men can't understand women?" Gaara asked his final question.

"I have it on good authority that I'm a moron in that department," admitted Baki. "Not all men are like me, though."

"Hey, do you think I'll be as luckless with women as you are?" asked Kankuro.

"Why not? With such an excellent role model, it's bound to rub off."

"I was afraid of that," murmured Kankuro. He nudged Gaara and teased, "That leaves it to you, bro." His voice took on a serious inflection as he proclaimed, "It is your sacred duty to perpetuate the Sabaku name."

"But I want to be a bachelor like Baki. His life isn't so bad," observed Gaara.

Baki felt his lips curling into a smile at that comment. Indeed, he had to agree with the boy. Then the jonin looked ahead and realized Temari was out of sight. "Gaara, catch up with Temari, will you? We don't want her invading Konoha before we can stop her."

Once Gaara was out of sight, Kankuro spoke. "You have information about the Sand nin who killed the Leaf proctor, don't you? That's why you're going to Konoha."

Baki didn't answer the question outright, but replied with, "Watch out for your brother and sister, Kankuro. Sometimes they don't see things as well as you do."

Kankuro nodded and remained beside Baki as sort of an honor guard to protect him from his sister. Although he didn't mention it, he, too, had seen that the jonin carried no weapons.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Konohagakure_

The evening sky was at twilight when the Sand nins arrived at the Tower. Two chunin, one with a scar across his nose, were standing as guards inside the door as dictated by protocol when the Hokage received foreign delegates. Iruka announced their names as they moved forward to formally bow before the Hokage who remained seated at her desk.

"The Suna delegation: Sabaku no Gaara, Sabaku no Temari, Sabaku no Kankuro." Iruka looked at the list and noticed the tall man was not named on the scroll. He frowned for a second, but his sharp memory called forth the name. "And Mitsuki no Baki, the team's Sensei."

They all bowed formally, then rose at the Hokage's invitation. Baki remained like a looming shadow behind his team while Temari and Kankuro stood at their brother's side with stern expressions. Gaara offered the blood diamonds to the Lady Tsunade.

"Godaime Hokage, the retribution is delivered." At this point Gaara simply thrust the bag containing the diamonds at the woman seated at the desk.

"Ahem." Kankuro quickly used a chakra string to set the bag on the Hokage's desk and open it such that the glittering jewels spilled across the top. Tsunade eyes widened as she considered the small fortune now at her hands--and without Shizune's presence to monitor their disposal. Being Hokage required major self-sacrifice, she thought.

Temari interrupted the silence. "We have been entrusted by the Ruling Council of Suna to offer these diamonds as remuneration for the damages incurred during Suna's retreat from the Leaf Village. Please accept these as a token of the alliance that is being rebuilt between our two countries."

Tsunade finally pulled her eyes away from the jewels and evaluated the young shinobi standing in her office. Unlike Leaf's genin, these already looked liked a battle-ready troop. She thought about Shikamaru's rather green team and wondered how far Wind Country would go to demonstrate its sincerity to this alliance. Still, Suna had only fulfilled one of Konoha's demands.

"As Hokage of Konoha, I accept these tokens, but I must inquire about the killer of Hayate Gekko. How can we trust Suna if our pleas for answers are ignored? Does the Wind Country not have one honest man who will deliver the culprit?"

Baki now stepped to the side away from his team and bowed to the Hokage while Temari looked at him in surprise. "Lady Hokage, I can assure you that Suna has such a man."

The jonin lifted his head to full height and offered the unexpected sacrifice. "I am responsible for the death of the Leaf proctor, Hayate Gekko. He overheard my meeting with Orochimaru's right hand, Kabuto, so I eliminated the threat the proctor posed to Suna."

"So, it is true; a Sand nin did kill him. Do you expect Konoha to just let you walk away now?" Tsunade was rising from her chair, one hand fisted on the desktop.

"I expect Konoha to be satisfied that Suna is trustworthy. My life is not as important as ensuring an alliance between Wind and Fire Country." Baki spread his arms to let his cloak hang open. "You see I carry no weapons."

"You're not a man who would need weapons, Wind Sword Master," said Tsunade as she actually walked around her desk and touched the tattoos on his face. "But then, you can't call on that weapon when you're inside a building, can you?"

"I can only promise that you have my full cooperation." Baki kept his gaze forward and his expression stoic. He knew that the Lady could obliterate his skull with one blow from her fist.

_Whoosh! Thump!_

"If you give me a moment, I can guarantee the cooperation of my team as well," assured Baki. He could identify Temari's maneuvers by sound and was peeved that she had been so impetuous as to send the guards slamming against the wall.

Then he turned around and realized her brothers had followed her lead and bound the Hokage's men. Baki ordered, "Release the guards. Now."

Tsunade glanced at the three Sand nins to find the girl collapsing her fan while her brothers released their hand seals. The Hokage then saw that the lower torso of the guards were encased in sand while their hands were bound with chakra strings. Iruka looked particularly annoyed at being so captured.

"That guard moved first to strike at his back," explained Temari as she indicated the chunin beside Iruka when her brothers released the guards.

"He butchered Hayate! That Sand dog must die!"

"Calm down, Atsuo, you dishonor the Hokage with your actions," chided Iruka. "Lady Tsunade, forgive me for recommending Atsuo for guard duty. It is clear that he lacks the maturity to behave diplomatically. I relieve him of duty forthwith."

Tsunade inclined her head to the chunin who gave a curt nod for the other to leave. She then smiled wearily at the Suna delegation before she spoke. "As you can see, the recent events have left us short-handed, but I suppose that's true for Suna as well or else a team of genin would not be making such an important delivery."

"Lady Hokage, this team procured the diamonds by vanquishing a cave demon and safeguarded them from two dozen thieves," explained Baki. "They have assumed the responsibility for rectifying the errors made by their father, the Yondaime Kazekage, but they knew nothing of my intentions for accompanying them to Konoha."

"Then I'll give you a moment to talk to your team before Iruka takes you into custody."

Her hand moved gracefully to indicate they should move to the window. Obviously her offer of privacy did not extend to having them out of her sight and in this Baki could appreciate the strong woman who now served Konoha.

Gaara walked behind his brother and sister to speak with their Sensei. Each sibling held an impassive expression as they faced him for the last time.

"What have I always told you about being shinobi?" asked the jonin.

"No shinobi is indispensable," answered Kankuro.

"No shinobi is irreplaceable," added Gaara.

"And first and foremost, you apply that dictate to yourself." Temari thought this would be the hardest lesson that Baki had taught them. They had survived through so much only to lose the one person who had been their anchor.

"I'm pleased to hear that you have been listening to me all these years."

"Baki?" Temari didn't know what question she had of him, but in the next instant, she realized her hand was reaching out to him. Then she could feel the calluses of his hand as he mirrored her movement.

"I trust you with the care of my family's house and its treasures, Temari. My grandmother found it to be a suitable home for a Wind Mistress." He waited for Temari's bow before letting her hand drop away.

"Kankuro, we have been brothers, so I ask you to keep my promises to the Crystal Cave," said Baki. He was satisfied when the Puppet Master tapped his fist with his own.

Finally, he turned to Gaara and surprised the siblings by leaning forward and whispering something into the boy's ear. Gaara looked up at Baki for a moment before he gave a nod of affirmation. Then the jonin stepped back and clearly said, "Gaara, if your brother or sister tries anything, encase them in sand. Just remember not to close your fist."

"I know," assured Gaara while Kankuro and Temari shifted uneasily.

"Good, then my business with my team is done, Lady Hokage. I thank you for consideration," said Baki.

"Escort him to the prison, Iruka."

The chunin moved to bind Baki's hands, but stopped when he heard the young kunoichi call, "Wait."

Temari stood with regal posture as she spoke directly to the Hokage, her tone clear and proud. "This is Mitsuki no Baki, elite Jonin of Suna, Wind Sword Master, Marshal of the Eastern Sector, Sensei to the Yondaime Kazekage's progeny, and Chief Administrator of the Ruling Council of Suna. He is a man of honor and should not be treated as a common criminal."

Tsunade took the girl's measure quickly and was pleased. Here was a true kunoichi; the girl was accustomed to getting her way even in a man's world. "Konoha will show your Sensei the respect due his station. Iruka, escort him to solitary confinement in the Tower."

Iruka found himself merely indicating the man should step out the door as he would a guest of the Hokage. The door closed behind them with a hollow sound.

"Lady Hokage, what will it take to purchase his life?" asked Kankuro when he could finally move. He turned to the older woman to add, "We can get more jewels. Baki's allies would see that a ransom is fulfilled."

"Money cannot replace a life," said Tsunade, but without sounding offended at the suggestion. The young man's attitude indicated he was willing to gamble.

"You're right, Lady Hokage, we cannot put a price on Baki's life. But can you really afford to execute a man who is honest enough to sacrifice his life just to ensure the trust between our two countries?" asked Temari. "Consider instead what a man like Baki would be able to do as an ally."

"Isn't he the sort of man you want on the Ruling Council of Suna?" added Gaara.

Tsunade looked at them with greater appreciation. This team from Suna was quite mature and not the spoiled brats she would have expected from the Kazekage's family. It was time to play her hand. "I cannot promise that Baki's life will be spared, but I can insist on a hearing before the Advisory Council. Are you willing to take that gamble?"

"What do we do to ensure this hearing?" Temari could feel hope stirring, but expected an impossible task.

"Prove that you are allies. I have sent a team of genin led by one of our chunin to retrieve a lost nin, Sasuke Uchiha. I understand he was Gaara's opponent in the final rounds of the chunin exams." Tsunade could see she had sparked their interest. "Go after the Leaf genin and help them in their task. We expect they will encounter Sound nins."

"Who are we looking for?" asked Gaara.

"Shikamaru Nara is the chunin leader," began Tsunade, but was surprised to hear a low growl from the girl.

"Yes, we know him," said Temari when she found her voice. "The Shadow Boy."

Tsunade nodded. "The others are Chouji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Neiji Hyuuga, and Naruto Uzumaki."

"We would come to the aid of Naruto regardless of the situation with Baki," said Gaara as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I see that you're as honest as your sensei." Tsunade was pleased to see hear that a Sand nin felt a personal allegiance to a Leaf nin. This generation was going to be full of surprises. "The challenge I offer comes from bringing them back alive, not just going after them."

"And if we find them all dead?" asked Kankuro.

"Then I recommend you head to Suna without detour to the Leaf Village," said Tsunade. "The death of the genin would not put the Council into a forgiving mood."

Temari looked at her brothers and they all shared a nod, but Gaara was the one who spoke. "Suna will demonstrate its alliance to Konoha. Let's go."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Hokage Tower  
Solitary Confinement_

Iruka lead Baki to the isolation cells at the basement of the Hokage's Tower rather than to Konoha's prison or interrogation center. His natural curiosity got the better of him, so he finally spoke to the Sand nin.

"I didn't think Suna valued the sensei-student relationship the way we do in Konoha," admitted Iruka.

"I was their third Sensei," admitted Baki. "Gaara killed the other two."

Iruka swallowed, then noted, "Something has changed about Gaara."

"Your Naruto knocked some sense into the boy."

"Yeah, that sounds like Naruto, all right." Iruka smiled sadly. "You realize your execution is inevitable?"

"Death comes to us all; we can only hope to be useful to our villages in the meantime."

"You don't regret any actions? Even Hayate's death? You don't wish you could have foreseen Orochimaru's treachery?"

"In Suna one must focus all our energy to survive in the present. Regrets won't change past actions, but they can destroy the future by making one uncertain to act. Besides, if Konoha's justice is swift, I won't have much time to wallow in recriminations, will I?"

"No, I don't suppose you will," agreed Iruka as he opened the door to the cell.

Iruka locked the door and heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps now Yugao would move on with her life; he had been worried about her grief over Hayate's death.

As he walked away, he missed the shadow of a man who had followed them to the cells. Atsuo had greatly admired Hayate and was even a little in love with Yugao. She was out on a short mission, but with luck he could track her down tonight and give her the news. Vengence was at hand.

_End Chapter 2_

Author Notes:

Made some minor edits and added some info on these notes.

Katsugan means keen or piercing eye. I thought Gaara needed one more fish for his bowl.

Yugao Uzuki is the name provided for the purple-haired ANBU who was Hayate's lover.

Atsuo is an OC developed for the purpose of having a red-shirt. I wanted someone familiar and sympathetic, so I had Iruka serving as a guard to relieve the day staff.

Temari's confusion over a Baki-Anko hook-up refers to events I made up for the Forceful Winds story about the Chunin Exams. And FYI, I do like Anko, but her character was perfect for the decoy pairing I needed Temari to believe.

I'm trying to maintain the timeline according to the real story (although even that had its holes when you really scrutinize it), so this occurs after Shikamaru's team is sent out. Tsunade mentions she has sent a backup when Shizune's team finally makes it to Konoha. It's supposed to take three days travel between villages, so I put the Sand Siblings in the Leaf Village about a day after Shikamaru and company go chasing after Sasuke. She doesn't yet know that Lee is also missing. These events happen out of Naruto's scrutiny so we'll see little of the Leaf genin in the long run because I don't like to write scenes already in the story.

No mention of Baki is made in this arc, so I thought I'd create events to address the issue of whether Yugao got her revenge. I've seen different authors address this encounter in a variety of ways recently, but I've had this idea (Konoha, the hearing) in mind for some time. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Thank you for reading and I apologize for the interval between chapters, but time demands have been very heavy. I appreciate the comments of the reviewers and the warm feeling they leave in me, but they aren't necessary to prod me into writing. It's one of the best stress-busters I have! Still, thanks for taking the time to drop me a line.


	3. Ditching the Paperwork

Summary: Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara help the Leaf nins while Baki tries to maintain his solitary confinement as he awaits execution. Chronicle format. SPOILERS for Rescue Sasuke Arc

_**HOWLING WINDS  
Living on the Edge**_

_Hokage Tower  
Solitary Confinement  
Baki's View_

I sleep well during the night in the dark cell. The furniture is simple and stark, reminiscent of the jonin barracks of Suna, except with a private water closet. Ah, the luxury!

I expected to be treated roughly, even tortured and interrogated. Perhaps they are waiting until my team has left Konoha? Even that thought does not shatter my sense of peace.

I think I'm mostly relieved that it's over--and that Temari isn't mad at me anymore. She really is scarier than Hiroko, but she's also strong and brilliant. Oddly enough, she's the one I worry about emulating her father. I hope nothing happens to make her harden her heart. She's like the beautiful Ice Princess of the folktales, but within her beats a warm and caring heart.

Kankuro will make sure she doesn't become cold and brittle. I think he saved me from that fate, too. It would have been easy to become as cynical as the Kazekage; the man should have spent more time with his son. He brings life to his puppets and those around him. That's what makes me hopeful about Gaara. The Ruling Council in Suna cannot last much longer. We will need a Kazekage and I wish I could have seen that.

The door of the cell opens and I look up from my meditation. The guard who tried to attack me--Atsuo?--carries in a tray of food to place on the table. He says nothing, but I can feel the hate emanating from him.

He glares at me and it turns into a rather silly staring game. I can meet Gaara's death glare; this chunin is a puppy by comparison. Yes, the young fool finally blinks, his eyes are beginning to tear, and the Puppy walks away after spitting into the rice bowl.

At least I'm now satisfied the food is not poisoned. Now why would the Puppy leave the door to the cell unlocked? No wonder he hasn't made jonin. I skim off the top layer of rice and eat the rest. Then I wonder. Is the door unlocked to tempt me to escape or to allow someone else to enter?

- - - - - - - - - - -

_On the Trail  
Temari_

I find the Shadow Boy in a clutch with some red-headed Bimbo in the forest. Honestly, it takes me a moment to realize they aren't making out, but actually struggling. Hn. I have to save his sorry hide for Baki's sake, but I feel some personal satisfaction in whipping the Bimbo away from him. Shikamaru would be fighting a girl again.

I land on the branch and it takes a bit of work to get the information I need out of him. He sounds so morose that I wonder where the boy genius in him is hiding. I should have cast my attack to cut that silly mop of hair off of his head. Maybe that would get his brain working. I bet he just pulls it back like that out of laziness.

My four ponytails, on the other hand, are deliberate and tied with great care. Baki told me when I was just a girl that they come from Suna tradition to enhance the talent of a wind user by invoking the four winds. I felt so proud that he had noticed my hair; my father never said anything good about my appearance. I even boasted that I would master the wind and beat Baki one day. But my sensei didn't laugh or belittle me; he just challenged me to do just that.

Now my challenge is to get this Leaf nin back to his village alive, so I use another gift that Baki gave to me. My blood across the Mitsuki fan activates the contract imbued in its fibers and summons the Kamatari. The deadly scythe of the one-eyed weasel cuts through the forest to destroy the Sound nin. What do you think of that, Shadow Boy?

I snap my fan shut in satisfaction. Shikamaru is safe and we can see to his two comrades who were injured while my brothers do their job. I have no doubt that Kankuro and Gaara will succeed.

The Shadow Boy mutters something about my being scary. I smirk at that. The world needs more scary women.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Hokage Tower  
Solitary Confinement  
Yugao_

I feel like I'm not even breathing as I make my way through the corridor. Stealth is second nature to me now; it's a necessity of being ANBU. I have a promise to fulfill to Hayate and Atsuo has provided the opportunity to act. My friend convinced the Hokage that he wanted to make amends to the Sand nin for his attack yesterday by taking his breakfast to him. I never realized how devious Atsuo could be.

I wait to see if the butcher will take the bait so that I can kill him just as he thinks he's gained his freedom, but the door remains stubbornly shut. The brute must be so dim-witted that he doesn't realize the door is unlocked.

I've waited long enough, so now I follow the alternate plan. How can it be wrong to kill a man already marked for death? I am doing the Hokage a favor.

I fling the door open with one hand even as I pull my sword from its sheath with the other. I see the man sitting in the middle of the room with his back to the door. I will show the Bastard mercy and kill him swiftly, silently.

My blade falls across his neck just as he raises his head. My heart now beats at the thrill of seeing his blood spilling from his body. Hayate is avenged!

But then a strong arm grabs my wrist as the blow follows through and the sand clone disappears. A hand wraps around my throat and I realize I underestimated my foe. He must have been hiding by clinging to the ceiling! I can feel the Bastard's chest against my back and realize his heartbeat is steady, calm.

I hear his deep voice rumbling behind me. "I'll comply with execution, but not assassination."

I struggle vainly to release my throat, but his grip is like iron. Then I hear Atsuo calling, "Yugao!"

The Bastard turns with me and deflects the blow from Atsuo's sword by manipulating my wrist so that the blades clash. I'm trying to kick at the Bastard, but he just captures my leg between his own. I'm nothing but a puppet! My sword swings at Atsuo and I despise the Sand nin for abusing him so cruelly.

Instead of using the sword edge, the Bastard turns it to slap Atsuo's face with the flat of the blade. My friend roars in frustration and I can only watch his rage build. I can't even call a warning for Atsuo to stop as he lunges forward.

The Bastard brings me closer to him as he steps aside, and then uses the flat of my sword blade to spank Atsuo! The force of the blow will leave a bruise; Atsuo's pride will be shattered. As he turns again in rage, a quick blow to his head from the hilt of my sword finally ends it.

And to add to my humiliation, I now hear Iruka's incredulous voice.

"What the hell is going on here? Yugao? What? Atsuo! How?"

I can't reply even though the Bastard releases me and manipulates my wrist so that my sword drops to the floor with a dull clang. I'm gasping for breath and go to check Atsuo. Not dead, but out cold. I clench my fists in frustration, but my fury is short-lived when Iruka turns to me.

The disappointment I see in Iruka's eyes is devastating. Only he, my old teammate, could have penetrated the haze that drove me here to kill the Sand nin. I hear him speaking softly. "Yugao, no. Hayate would not have wanted this."

"The Bastard is a condemned man!" My voice is raspy, but it is my only justification.

"No, Yugao, Marshal Baki is confined to solitary until the Hokage decides whether to call a hearing." Iruka turns to the Suna man and adds, "I came to tell you the latest development."

The Bastard speaks as Iruka bends to collect the swords. I hate how calm and reasonable he sounds. "I thought the matter was settled. Why a hearing?"

Iruka quickly explains that his team from Suna has gone after some Leaf genin led by a rookie chunin. Their success will assure a hearing for the Sand nin.

"No!" I scream the word, but Iruka just kneels beside me and touches my arm. He reminds me that we need to get medical aide for Atsuo, so I nod. I help Iruka get Atsuo between us so that we can leave the cell. He does not offer my sword back to me.

Before we leave, Iruka turns to the Bastard as if an explanation is his due. "Hayate was loved by many in the Konohagakure. Yugao and Atsuo have let grief twist their thinking. Forgive me for not anticipating this."

I bite back my objections to treating this butcher with any respect. Iruka's heart is too gentle to ever be more than a chunin. He can't understand. He's even smiling at the Bastard as he asks, "Why didn't you use this opportunity to escape?"

The Bastard shrugs. "A mountain of paperwork awaits me in Suna."

Iruka actually laughs now. "I will report this to the Hokage. Rest assured that your time away from paperwork will not be disturbed again. I think Lady Tsunade would have understood if you had killed them."

Iruka's tone of voice carries censure to me and I bow my head.

The last words from the Bastard make me hate him even more. "I don't intend to do anything to upset the alliance between Suna and Konoha."

How dare he sound like a man of honor!

- - - - - - - - - - -

_On the Trail  
Kankuro_

Man, this Leaf team is getting its ass kicked! What the hell were they thinking by sending these greenhorns on this mission? And to waste time going after a spoiled brat like the Uchiha? Where's his Sensei? Baki would've hunted me down himself if I'd pulled some stunt like this. I guess the Hokage wasn't kidding when she said they were short-handed.

We leave Temari to help out the Shadow Boy. Hope she remembers to exclude him from her attacks. She still seems pissed off, but at least now she can direct her energies to another target. She doesn't realize it, but Baki has spoiled her over the years. Not coddled her, mind you, but anything that has been in his power to give her, he has. I think that's why Baki didn't tell her why he was coming to Konoha. If anyone could have dissuaded him, it would have been Temari.

I break away from Gaara since he really wants to help Naruto and we haven't caught up to him yet. I hear a whimper and realize the Dog Boy, Kiba, must be ahead. Now there's another loud-mouthed brat, but I like the dog. I always wanted a dog, come to think of it. Kagami's lucky that she can just create a mirror mutt like Souku. Wonder if she'll let him visit me? I'll write her and ask.

Now, I have to see to getting the Dog Boy out of the mess he's in with this Horny Freak. Talk about ugly! Karasu is gorgeous compared to this mug. I divert the strike against the Dog Boy and a quick glance tells me Kiba won't be much help.

But I'm wrong, because Kiba wastes little time expressing surprise and just gives me a rundown on the Horny Freak's abilities. I like that; Temari and Gaara don't waste time, either. I manipulate my puppets with lethal intention.

I've got to make this battle a quick one if I'm gonna get the boy and his dog back to the Konohagakure alive. We'll get that hearing for Baki from the Hokage and he'll figure some way out of it. Suna needs him alive more than Konoha needs his sacrifice. We'll convince the Hokage somehow.

But now I'm focused on my battle. The Horny Freak likes to taunt and tease, so my motivation to just shut the freak up is rising. Kuroari's chest cavity closes on him and then Karasu's knives puncture through the slots. It's over. I'll use some sand blasting to clean it out later. Yeah, I recently improved my skills at manipulating sand with Gaara's help. I think he got tired of cleaning Kuroari out for me.

I look down at Kiba and his mutt and he just nods his head in satisfaction. He doesn't question why a Sand nin is here to help; his main concern is for his dog, Akamaru. I kneel by them and stroke the poor puppy's head. Akamaru whimpers, but still has enough energy to lick my hand. That's all the thanks I really need.

We head back to the Leaf Village. My little bro can take care of himself. I'm confident that Gaara has as much invested in getting Baki back to Suna as the rest of us.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Hokage Tower  
Solitary Confinement  
Iruka_

I open the door to the cell and find Baki juggling three pieces of paper that he's wadded up from a notepad that was left in the room.

"Bored?" I ask as I set the tray with his dinner on the table.

"Fantasizing," Baki explains. "I always wanted to crumple up all those official documents--"

"Copied in triplicate? I get it. Except in my case, it would be my student's homework. I normally teach at the academy."

"That explains it. You sounded like a tutor scolding a student earlier when you dealt with the Panther and the Puppy."

"Ah, you must mean Yugao as the panther. That's an apt description." I feel compelled to explain. "Yugao and Hayate were both on my genin team. Yugao thought I was too much of a prankster and couldn't take things seriously while I thought she was too serious and couldn't enjoy life. Hayate was our balance because he could help me focus while at the same time make Yugao laugh. That's the way he was with everyone, finding a balance."

"I would expect you to be angry with me for killing your friend," observes Baki.

I lean against the table in order to continue. "Frankly, I don't see the point of getting angry; it won't bring Hayate back. I prefer diplomacy over fighting, finding peace over hating. Besides, if I asked you to describe yourself, I bet the first thing you'd say is--"

"I'm just a soldier." Baki obliges my conjecture by producing the label.

"Just as I thought. When I heard you speak to the Hokage it sounded as if you were carrying out what you thought was your duty. I can understand that motivation; that's what any good soldier would do. Besides, I wonder if you didn't do Hayate a favor."

"His illness was terminal? One could not ignore the coughing."

I nod my head. "He and Yugao made jonin when they turned seventeen, but by then I knew that teaching at the academy was my calling. They were set to make ANBU at eighteen, but then Hayate came back from a mission with an infection that was resistant to all treatments. The coughing fits meant he could never become ANBU, but he demanded that Yugao proceed and make them both proud."

The memories flood my mind before I remember I'm talking to Baki. I feel I need to defend her. "And Yugao is very good at her job; her lapse of judgment is not like her. I think Atsuo--well, he's being kept for observation at the hospital and not on account of his injuries. Yugao was officially censured, but we're so short handed that she's been put on duty outside of the village."

"She'll soon have her satisfaction," Baki predicts. "Hayate's illness must have been difficult for her to bear."

"We were relieved that it wasn't contagious, but that didn't help Hayate. The only good thing to come out of it was that Yugao finally realized she loved Hayate. They were more than just lovers, but Hayate was determined not to tie her to dying man, so he balked at marriage."

"I can see why she's after my blood."

"All the anger she's built up against this illness that was killing Hayate was directed at you. But I know that Hayate would have preferred a death in the line of duty rather than by this disease. That's why he was so persistent in looking for Kabuto. Not that Hayate was suicidal, but that by dying in battle, he would beat the disease. I tried to explain this to Yugao, but..."

My words just die out, then I see Baki shrug and say, "I've never been able to figure women out."

The Sand nin actually sighs before continuing. "You asked before if I regretted Hayate's death. When he was just a threat I eliminated, I was satisfied that I had fulfilled my duty to my country. Now you've made him a person, and I do regret that your village has lost such a man. But he made a mistake in following Kabuto and that I cannot change. If I had not killed him, he would've died at Kabuto's hand."

"Fair enough," I reply and store this information away. Oddly, I feel some of my own grief lifting from me.

"You said you teach at the academy. How does that work? We don't use an academy in Suna; it's all handled through instruction by family or private tutors, then jonin are assigned a genin team."

His question gets me talking for an hour before I realize that I'm violating the solitary confinement edict. But the Sand nin was curious and it's not like I'm revealing anything that we haven't tried to share before with other Shinobi Nations. The ninja academy we operate doesn't just teach how to perform ninjutsu, but but why the techniques work.

We value talent and power, but the social ties the Leaf academy students build outside of their family units helps to bind us all together. A girl of noble birth, like Hinata Hyuuga, can be in the same class as an outcast like Naruto Uzumaki.

I see Baki smiling as I end my exposition on the value of academy training and I feel a little embarrassed. Then he says something that makes me regret he's a dead man walking.

"Perhaps you could put this information about the academy and its structure on paper? Send it to Sabaku no Temari in Suna. Tell her that I asked her and her brothers to make a Suna Academy a reality."

I'm flattered by his request and proud to be of service, but it saddens me to think he won't see this dream happen. "You place a lot of faith in your students. If they succeed and the hearing occurs, you'll be able to tell them about the academy yourself."

"A hearing won't change my fate," replies Baki. "I want them home in Suna, not in Konoha fretting over my execution."

I nod in understanding. Why couldn't we have had this talk about the academy during the chunin exams? We were allies with Sand, but that alliance only existed on a scroll. I hope the younger generation can make the alliance between Leaf and Sand real.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_On the Trail  
Gaara_

I am left alone to find Naruto, but instead I meet--what is his name? All that comes to mind are Baki's nicknames for the Leaf nins: The Jolly Green Jonin and his Little Green Sprout.

KILL HIM...Kill Him...kill him...

I push Shukaku's voice away and save the Sprout. At one time I wanted to kill him, but now I protect him. I believe Baki would find this encounter quite ironic.

I'm thankful that I don't have a sensei like the Jolly Green Jonin. I would have killed the man within minutes of meeting him.

KILL HIM...Kill Him...kill him...

I have enough noise going on in my mind. Baki is mostly calm and quiet, and I realize that his solid presence has been important in my life. We--I still need him, especially now that I am learning to fight for others, for my village. But first, I have to get these genin back safely.

I finally remember the Sprout's name. Rock Lee. He tells me he holds no grudges for the past and I wonder at that. I deliberately broke his body, then hunted him to kill him as he was helpless, yet he is willing to put that aside. Naruto has gone ahead after the Uchiha, so the best I can do is to make sure this Bone Wright does not follow him.

KILL HIM...Kill Him...kill him..Kill Him...KILL HIM!

DAMN IT! WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME WORK! YOU'LL GET YOUR BLOOD, BUT NOT FROM ROCK LEE!

My exchange with Shukaku fades and I face my opponent. I hold nothing back, but the Bone Wright is powerful. He is obsessed with Orochimaru and I find this attachment pathetic. But I understand how loneliness works; even a demon becomes welcome.

I find it ironic that although I'm considered invincible in Suna, every time I set foot in Konoha it's proven wrong. I use everything I've learned to destroy this foe. I shield us, I attack, I bury the Bone Wright in sand.

But then the spears sprout through the ground leaving a forest of bare bone. I levitate a cushion of sand to take me and Lee out of danger. Everything is still and I think it's over when suddenly a gargoyle erupts next to us. The bone spear is at my eye and for a moment I feel regret that I have failed my siblings and my sensei, but the attack abruptly stops.

BLOOD...Blood...blood...

The Bone Wright is dead, but nature provided the lethal blow. He coughs and blood drips from his mouth. Shukaku rages in me for a moment at being cheated out of this death, but I push the demon back. I don't give a damn how the bastard died; the Leaf nin is alive and Naruto is free to pursue the Uchiha.

Lee is hurt, I'm drained, so the best thing I can do is to get him back to the Konohagakure. We rest in the forest for a moment and bicker about talent versus luck in battle. Then we bicker about the Jolly Green Jonin. I shudder to think what Baki would look like in green spandex--why am I sounding like Kankuro? My brother has obviously had an insidious influence on me. At least no one would call Baki a fool. A moron about women, yes, but then I'm beginning to think that applies to all men.

KILL HIM...Kill Him...kill him...

Every day I live with this litany ringing in my mind. I have learned a mantra of my own, one that Naruto taught me. Protect the precious ones. Protect...

A pug ninja dog suddenly appears and asks us a question. He works for the Copy Ninja who is on the trail of his students. I wish Kankuro were here; he'd be excited to see this. Rock Lee tells the pug where Naruto went and in a flash, the dog is gone.

The Sensei will soon find his students and whether from Leaf or Sand, that's how it should be.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Hokage Tower  
Solitary Confinement  
Baki_

I wake up abruptly at dawn when I hear her wind whisper. Wasn't it a dream? I sit up to capture Temari's words again. The Leaf nins are back, two are critically wounded. She's at the Konoha hospital awaiting news on the outcome so they can demand a hearing of my case.

I dare not contact her; I don't want to encourage her or her brothers to stay in Konoha. But I find I am smiling as I lay my head down again. Most men find Temari too assertive; she speaks her mind and her honesty can make her seem harsh. I can imagine she's leaving quite an impression at the hospital.

Perhaps the hearing is what my team needs to give them closure. I am now restless because I don't want to hope. The hearing couldn't change the outcome; I killed the proctor. I go through a familiar series of kata and wish I had a wooden sword in my hand.

Soon I am literally running around the room in circles, up the wall, across the ceiling, down the next wall, to the floor, up the wall...

"I had a mouse once that liked his running wheel whenever he got nervous," says Iruka when he delivers a breakfast tray.

I flip back onto the floor and stand to face him. The Dolphin is smiling openly and I find his good humor is contagious. I've never been compared to a rodent before.

"What happened to the mouse?" I ask, fully expecting him to say the creature died from physical exhaustion.

Iruka smiles. "Funny thing about that mouse. One day, I found his lid was ajar and his cage empty. About three months later, I was walking in the woods with my genin team when we saw the oddest thing. We found a colony of mice, but instead of having agouti fur, some were pure white. And the largest of these mice looked at me for a moment before scampering away."

"Do you make up these stories for your students?" I can't help but ask.

Iruka frowns at me with mock offense because I can see a twinkle in his eye. "That would set a bad example; I always tell the truth, especially where mice and men are concerned."

"Temari sent me a wind whisper," I admit. "She says the genin are back, two seriously injured."

"I'll remind her that you're in solitary confinement," said Iruka, "but I can confirm that you have the latest facts. Kakashi found Naruto, but they failed to bring back Sasuke Uchiha. Still, Shikamaru did bring back his team alive."

"With the help of Sand," I feel compelled to insert. I am proud of my team. Their actions should solidify our alliance with Fire Country.

"Without your team, the medics would have been retrieving three corpses," confirms Iruka. "Temari rescued Shikamaru, Kankuro saved Kiba, and Gaara protected Rock Lee."

"The Little Green Sprout? That's the boy Gaara fought in the first round, mutilated him, tried to kill him later in the hospital. It's interesting how things change."

"Yes, but in this case, it's for the good." Iruka adds, "I suspect your team will want to talk to you, so you might have company for lunch."

"Don't you Leaf nins know the definition of solitary confinement?" I ask.

"I like to think we know the meaning of justice; that's more important," the Dolphin explains without apology. "The Hokage started making arrangements for a hearing as soon as your team got back. She'll be busy with the new patients this morning, so I think she forgot to tell them."

"Forgot or is letting them sweat it?"

Iruka grins. "I recommend you get cleaned up. Lady Tsunade thought you'd want the process expedited, so it's likely to be as early as this afternoon."

I can only nod in agreement. I'm not afraid of dying, but I find that there is much in life that I'd like to do now, new goals I would make for myself. I find solace in the fact that I can leave these dreams for my team.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Konohagakure Hospital  
Temari_

I send Kankuro and Gaara to find a room and food for us while I await the outcome for the Leaf nins at the hospital. I would argue that they were alive when we got to the Leaf Village and so have fulfilled our end of the bargain, but we'll have a stronger case to present to the Hokage once we know they'll recover.

I wonder what they're doing to Baki. Will we find him beaten or tortured in spite of what the Hokage promised? He didn't respond to my wind whisper. I understand he needs to be cautious, but, damn it, I would feel better if I could just hear his voice.

I try to get my mind off of my Sensei and turn my attention to Shikamaru. He's whining. I can't stand whining. Hell, if anyone has a right to whine, it's me, but Baki taught us better than that. These Leaf nins are so spoiled!

The Shadow Boy needs a good dope slap. Did he think his brilliance was all they needed to go up against their foes? And to hell with the Uchiha, we brought them back alive! His comrades are receiving care from the Hokage; does he have no faith in women?

I see him about to cry and ask if they have no training in emotional control. Baki made sure we understood the possible outcome of any mission. No shinobi is indispensable; no shinobi is irreplaceable.

But I realize that I envy Shikamaru his freedom to shed tears. I cried for my father, the bastard who used his own children to invade an ally, because even then, I still loved him. I'd be thrilled to have the luxury to break down now, have someone tell me it was going to be all right. But you see, Baki is that person who would comfort me, reassure me, make me feel secure. Losing Baki is as unthinkable to me as losing one of my brothers.

I walk out and run into the Hokage. Before I can open my mouth, she holds up her hand for silence and simply says, "Baki will have his hearing this afternoon. Now go away and quit making my chunin cry."

I walk away before she can see the tears of relief streaming from my eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_Solitary Confinement  
Hokage Tower  
Atsuo_

When I kill him, I will ease everyone's pain, all who loved Hayate will praise my actions. The Hokage wouldn't punish me when so many want the Sand nin dead.

Don't laugh, mustn't laugh, must be silent. Silence is good until...

When I kill him, I'll be a hero. The Hokage will give me a commendation. She'd promote me directly to jonin! No one will laugh at me then for being spanked like some child.

Don't growl, mustn't growl, must be silent. Silence is good until...

When I kill him, Yugao will be mine. She'll kiss me in gratitude and then I'll tell her that I love her. I can make her forget Hayate; I'm strong and whole. I can show her pleasures she'd never imagine. She'll give up being in ANBU, she'll devote herself only to me.

Don't moan, mustn't moan, must be silent. Silence is good until...BOOM!

- - - - - - - - - - -

_Hokage Tower  
Stairwell to Basement  
Iruka_

BOOM!

I stand paralyzed on the stairs as the explosion reverberates from the basement. I feel Kankuro run into me and then the girl yells his name.

"BAKI!"

The Sand nins practically trample me as they run down the rest of the steps. The dust still swirls in the corridor until Temari generates a wind gust to clear our view.

"He's buried in the rubble," says Kankuro. He turns to Gaara with a plea in his eyes. No words pass between them.

The sand coils out of Gaara's gourd and begins to move the rubble. We see a body with the head crushed, the broken limbs bending oddly as if each bone were articulated like a spine. Kankuro uses chakra strings to carefully turn the body. Atsuo.

"That bastard!" Kankuro flings the body to the side and directs, "Keep digging."

His brother moves more rubble from what was the door and Temari scrambles inside the room as soon as there's a small opening. By the time we make the hole bigger and look inside, we see her holding Baki's body.

She's clutching him to her and her voice sounds anguished. "Don't you dare leave me alone to take care of my brothers! And to babysit the twins by myself. Or that mountain of paperwork. Don't you dare die on me!"

I see Baki's hand twitch, then his eye flutters open. "Temari."

She leans closer to hear his words.

"Did you have to mention the paperwork?"

Temari thumps his chest with a fist in response, but it looks like an excuse to hug the man.

"Sis, you are one scary woman," observes Kankuro.

"And bossy," Gaara adds, to which Kankuro nods.

I finally reach Baki and check him quickly. No broken bones, no sign of internal damage. "How did you survive the blast?"

"Wind shield," he replies as Temari helps him sit up. "I've never created a concave one."

I look at a remnant of the explosive tag and recognize the _kanshouki tekidan_. They bore through a structure and send a blast outward while creating a safety buffer behind them. Baki was able to reverse this with his jutsu.

"Damn, Baki, you are one lucky bastard," says Kankuro who kneels to inspect the debris.

"I'm getting called that a lot lately," replies the Sand nin.

"Luck is part of any battle," observes Gaara.

"So is preparation. What tipped you off?" asks Temari.

He winces a bit before explaining. "I heard an eerie laughter in the hall. Since I don't believe in ghosts, I assumed it was another avenger. The tags struck the door just as I made the seals."

"Atsuo must have slipped away from the hospital with all the commotion there this morning." I sigh. Things are certainly exciting when the Sand nins are in town. "We'll go straight to the Hokage's office and wait there until the hearing is called in the Council chambers."

Baki rises to his feet, takes a deep breath, and immediately assumes his stoic demeanor. I smile as I see his team mimic his actions. The Suna delegation is steadfast and I can't help but hope that there is a solution with a positive outcome for them.

_End Chapter 3_

Author Notes:

Iruka was perfect for this chapter and I enjoyed using his character. His genin team (Iruka, Hayate, Yugao) is not canon, but they were listed as the same age (22-23), so I don't think it's much of a stretch. And the Leaf nins are not incompetent; folks have other things on their mind than guarding a Sand nin who willingly gave himself up to Konoha.

Atsuo was an OC created for the purpose of menacing Baki. We'll see Yugao one more time, though. The pug dog is Pakkun, but the encounter with Gaara is not canon.

I gave quick descriptions of each of the three opponents that Sand nins faced. I hope the voice was sufficiently different to keep them in character. I figure Temari finds Shikamaru annoying at this time, but don't assume that's a prelude to anything more. I also thought Kankuro would be the type to like pets, etc, in that his puppets are not dolls so much as manifestations of pets. No slash is intended here or between Gaara and Lee, but with all three Sand nins, an appreciation for their counterparts is seeded.

The_kanshouki tekidan_ is not canon, but roughly translates into buffer grenade, which is the closest thing to what I imagined.

Thanks for reading; it's nice to see familiar names on the review list. I'm glad to see the support this story is getting, but I guess I'd feel that way even if I only got one review. I'll try to update by Thanksgiving. We have a hearing to listen in on next.


	4. Things Worse Than Death

Summary: Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara help Baki prepare not for a hearing, but an Inquisition.

**HOWLING WINDS**  
_**Things Worse Than Death**_

After the chilling events of the morning, the Sand nins were feeling relieved and rather relaxed as Iruka led them to the Hokage's office until the hearing. They sat on the floor to sprawl out in comfort with Iruka acting as host while they waited the delivery of lunch.

Kankuro was sitting off to the side under a window with his back turned to his cohorts in order to finally inspect the prism Kagami sent to him and read her note.

_Kankuro: I left the paint on the glass hawk; it gives it a menacing appearance, so I'll recycle him as a sentry. It looks cool. I enjoyed reading your first letter and, yes, I will admit (but don't get cocky or I'll tell Temari to clobber you with her tessen): it made me smile. Although, I don't like the implication that I'm some somber, serious, humorless person. One has to have a sense of humor to put up with you, after all. Are you smiling yet?_

Kankuro felt himself chuckling at that statement. He could practically hear her low-toned voice speaking to him.

_Honestly, thank you for not being a greedy, self-serving, conceited--wait, that last one does fit! Look, I'm glad you put the jewels to good use. Nothing can offset my father's sins, but now when I think of the ruby wolves, I'll remember how the jewels helped Suna. _

Kankuro didn't realize he now had an audience as he began nodding his head. Kagami's words gave him this odd feeling at the pit of his stomach--or maybe he was just hungry? He put his attention to finishing the letter.

_We were surprised to see Marshal Baki, but thanks for the puppets you sent with him. I'll have to keep them locked away from my little cousins, though, or else they'll wear them out. So, I was getting around to writing back, but decided to create some some trinkets with the intention of sending them to Baki via caravan. I know the prism doesn't look as intricate as the glass fish or the crystal flower bud, but I put more work into it. It's a shirosanryoukou._

_The prism has a practical use if you just want to play around and refract light. Yes, I anticipate that you'll use my extraordinary creation to harass your brother and sister with rainbows aimed at their eyes. But with the proper seals, it can enhance the ability to detect chakra. The prism turns a cloudy white, but that's when it operates as a chakra sensor, even tracing residual chakra. My challenge to you is to figure out the seals. What do you think of that, Puppet Master? Kagami_

"Bring it on, I can handle it," murmured Kankuro without realizing he spoke aloud as he inspected the prism. He was insensible to the muffled chuckles around him until he looked up. "What?"

Temari smirked at her brother. "I take it that you're pleased with Kagami's token?"

Kankuro decided to grumble. "She's making me work to figure it out, just what I'd expect from her."

Iruka cocked his head to one side and asked, "Is this Kagami your girlfriend?"

All Kankuro could do was blush while Gaara explained, "My brother says that she is a friend who is a girl."

"Ah," said Iruka very wisely. At that point, a knock on the door indicated their lunch had arrived. The Leaf nin rose, opened the door, and a bright smile appeared. "Ayame! I didn't expect you to deliver the order. Here, let me get that, it must be heavy."

Baki turned to see the pretty Ramen Girl standing with arms laden with a large bag. She was smiling shyly at Iruka and barely gave a glance to his contingent. As she surrendered her load she murmured, "Thank you, Iruka. I'm sure the weight is nothing to a strong man like you."

Now it was Iruka's turn to flush at the compliment, but he managed to find his voice as he set the bag on the table. "Oh, you know, it comes from wrestling students who are trying to cut class at the academy. Please tell your father that we appreciate the lunch on such short notice."

"I will." Ayame just stood there for a moment while Iruka politely waited for her departure. She suddenly realized she was staring and offered a nervous laugh. "Sorry, we'll--I'll see you tomorrow. At the stand. For lunch." Before she stepped out the door, she turned quickly and added, "Remember my birthday is next week. On Friday. And that I'll be free."

The door closed while Iruka was left with mouth agape.

"So, is this Ayame your girlfriend?" echoed Kankuro with a smirk directed at the Leaf nin.

Iruka turned and began pulling out the contents from the bag. "No, no, I think she has a crush on Kakashi."

"Crushes come and go," assured Temari as she accepted a hand from Baki to help her stand. "Ayame didn't even look at anyone else in the room."

"Er, yes, but I'm just familiar to her. Her father runs the best ramen stand."

"I ate at the Ichiraku, it is very good," observed Baki as he went to take first pick. He was the condemned man, after all.

"I'll pass on the compliment," acknowledged Iruka. "All bachelors eat there--and a number of husbands whose wives can't cook. And I admit that a pretty girl like Ayame is part of the draw, but we're all protective of her; she's like everyone's kid sister."

"I don't think she wants you to think of her as a kid sister," suggested Temari as she slapped Kankuro's hand away from the container she was reaching for. "She did remind you of her birthday."

Iruka scratched the back of his head as if flustered. "Ayame has been doing that for the past few years."

Gaara was carefully inspecting his ramen with his chopsticks; he didn't want a lot of vegetables. "Eighteen means adult status in Suna. Is it the same here in Konoha?"

Iruka suddenly straightened, blinked twice, then did a quick calculation on his fingers. "Yes, Ayame does turn eighteen."

"Little girls grow up," murmured Baki, but in his mind he heard the voice of the Kazekage and saw the image of the tomboy Temari used to be.

"You're a marked man, dude," suggested Kankuro as he began slurping down his container without regard to the contents. He figured it all tasted good.

But when Baki registered the confused expression on the Leaf nin, he decided to take pity on the Dolphin and change subjects. "Iruka, could you explain the basics of the academy system to my team?"

Iruka looked relieved at the suggestion and was soon focused on converting the Sand nins into academy advocates. The group's attention was riveted on the chunin when the Hokage finally appeared in her office.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tsunade thrust her hands into her pocket as she stepped into her office. It felt as if she had just interrupted a friendly summit, but her announcement soon chilled the atmosphere. "The council has agreed to listen to the case, but there will be no hearing. They demanded an Inquisition instead."

Three voices began speaking at once. Only Gaara and Baki said nothing until the jonin stood up. His action brought immediate silence.

"Lady Hokage, I appreciate your work to get my case heard, but I cannot accept an Inquisition. I've admitted to killing the proctor; I want the execution expedited."

"No! We've worked too hard--"

"Temari, he's right," said Kankuro as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you get it? She said an Inquisition."

Temari turned away from Baki who quickly distanced himself from the group.

"What can be so different from a hearing?" she asked. Her brother was a master for soaking up such trivia. "They just drug you up so you can't inhibit your responses, right? To prevent lying. We've all had training to withstand interrogation."

"It's not just the disinhibition from the drugs," explained Kankuro. He curbed his impulse to try to shake some sense into his sister and patiently explained, "Getting drugged up is just the first step. They'll block his chakra points next and then use _Buchiakeru_ to rip apart any barriers created by his mental training. Forget about the council ruling in his favor, Baki could be left without his mind before the proceedings even begin! He's better off dead."

Temari pressed her lips together, then asked, "Lady Hokage, what are the chances of insanity? Who will perform the jutsu? How competent are they?"

Tsunade smirked. "I assure you a Sannin is quite capable of performing the jutsu, so I'll see to it. As for your question, mental stability is lost in seventy percent of _Buchiakeru_."

"How do you beat it? Some do, so what's special about them? Does it take a strong will? A bloodline trait? A specific chakra level?" prodded Temari.

"It's more a matter of having a fluid mind, one that's compartmentalized so that if one aspect of self crashes, it doesn't destroy the entire being." Tsunade turned to Baki and simply asked, "Who are you, Mitsuki no Baki?"

The jonin remained impassive, but turned his back to the group and appeared to stare out the window. Only Temari would be bold enough to disturb the man. It only took her a few moments to shake off the restraining hand that Kankuro had kept on her shoulder.

"Foremost you are a soldier, but that does not make you a simple man, Baki." Each word brought her closer to the jonin. "You know when to fight the current or when to ride it. You could do this and survive."

"Temari, you don't understand." Baki's voice was quiet.

"But I do," whispered Temari. "I know about your mother, but her circumstances were different. She was broken before, before..." Temari's voice faded away in frustration.

The girl took a deep breath and and found her resolve. Her voice was clear when she said, "I have faith in you, Baki or I wouldn't ask you to go through the Inquisition. Please."

From where he stood, Kankuro muttered to his brother, "She said the magic word, Bro. He's gonna do it. It's up to you to handle the fallout."

Tsunade and Iruka watched as Gaara nodded almost imperceptibly and walked to stand beside Baki to his left. The jonin turned to the girl and commanded, "Go."

Temari didn't hesitate in stepping back and felt a sense of comfort when Kankuro touched her wrist. "Sis, you better be able to live with your decision."

"I know." She whispered her response, but shifted Kankuro's hand so she could hold it tightly.

Gaara stood quietly beside his sensei for a moment. Only Baki could hear his voice when he said, "I know better than anyone that there are things worse than death."

The man's lips curled into a smile as the words echoed their first meeting. Baki exhaled, then turned to Gaara and gave his last order. "A closed fist."

In response Gaara extended his hand in a fist, the old Suna gesture of alliance perverted into a deadly promise. But Baki was relieved that he could count on his student not to let him live a mindless existence. The Wind Sword mirrored the action and touched his fist to his student's.

His voice was all business as he announced, "Let's get this Inquisition over with then."

Tsunade nodded and said, "Very well. Ibiki Morino, the head of our Torture and Interrogation unit, will serve as Inquisitor. You'll recognize him as the proctor during the written exam of the chunin trials. Now I need to find someone to serve as Advocate."

"Good luck finding someone smart enough to understand the legalities, cunning enough to take advantage of any loopholes, and foolish enough to say yes," muttered Iruka as he scratched his head trying to think of a likely candidate. Then he noticed the stares. "Uh, why is everyone looking at me?"

"Anyone who can spend years teaching the brats at the academy without snuffing them all has to be both a bit foolish but have an agile mind," observed Kankuro. "What do you say, Dolphin Man? Are you in?"

Iruka scratched the back of his head, but then he grinned and said, "I think I've been in from the time I announced the arrival of the Suna delegation. Sure, I'll play Advocate."

Tsunade nodded in approval, then cringed when she heard Temari.

"The Inquisition doesn't preclude Baki's diplomatic status. We demand to serve as Advocates to represent Suna. The alliance between Wind and Fire Countries acknowledges our sovereignty. Baki is privy to state secrets and these cannot be revealed during the Inquisition."

Although the Sand nin had a point, Tsunade threw her a cool look. Still, Temari didn't cower but stood her ground regally and managed to remind the Sannin of herself, which was even more annoying!

"Listen, little girl, I don't know how things are done in Suna, but just thinking you're all grown up doesn't make you one. Three genin who failed the Chunin Exams--"

"We did not fail." Gaara's quiet voice cut through the room before he remembered to add, "Lady Hokage." He ignored the way Kankuro slapped a hand across his forehead and continued. "We are all chunin with legal status as adults in Suna. We serve as Baki's administrative assistants." Gaara turned to look at the jonin and ended with, "And we all hate the paperwork."

"I'm shocked by your last revelation," replied Baki dryly, then he turned to the Hokage to explain. "These facts are true, Lady Hokage, but the Suna Council didn't want to flaunt their status as chunin to Konoha."

Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "I suppose it's best that you're present during the Inquisition so that we can keep an eye on all of you. Granted." She added sarcastically. "Anything else?"

"Books on Konoha law?" ventured Kankuro. "And the current provisional treaty between Suna and Konoha."

"Wear yourself out; you have an hour," said Tsunade as she indicated a shelf. Kankuro jerked his head at his brother to come over, pulled out a few books, handed several to Gaara, then took the scroll with a copy of the treaty. The Sand nins spread the material on the floor and began scanning them.

The Hokage turned to her chunin. "Iruka, tell Captain Morino to come in."

Iruka had barely opened the door when Ibiki stepped through. He glanced around the room and said, "Lady Hokage, I was told only one Sand nin would stand for Inquisition. Do I get the whole lot?"

His enthusiasm compelled the young Sand nins to look at their former proctor with a disgruntled expression, but it was Temari who stood there crossing her arms to glare at the Inquisitor.

"Cool it, Temari," muttered Baki quietly. She immediately dropped her arms to her side and averted her gaze with a sniff of disdain. He stepped forward and said, "I am Mitsuki no Baki, your target, Captain Morino. My team remains in Konoha to serve as Advocates alongside Iruka Umino."

Ibiki quirked an eyebrow at the chunin who merely offered a confirming nod.

"I expect this will be a short inquisition, then." His confident tone did more to send chill through the young Sand nins than any threats.

"Escort Marshal Baki to chambers," directed Tsunade. "Shizune will be there shortly to administer the drugs. I will personally see to the _Buchiakeru._"

"As a Suna Advocate, I'm going with you as a witness to due process," insisted Temari as she faced Ibiki. She turned to Baki with her hands on her hips to add, "And you can't tell me no."

"Fine, but don't provoke the Leaf. I can't do this and be worrying about you, too," murmured Baki.

Duly chastised, Temari bowed to the jonin. "I won't add to your burdens."

Baki nodded, then turned expectantly to Ibiki.

"Hn. Never thought Sand nins overindulged their students," muttered Ibiki as he walked out. Baki and Temari said nothing as they followed while a Leaf chunin took guard position inside the room.

Tsunade released a sigh as she walked to her desk, pulled out a file, and gave it to Iruka who now sat with Kankuro and Gaara. "You should know all the details of the case."

Kankuro looked at the picture of the body of Hayate Gekko. He understood why the death of this proctor carried such a demand for vengeance. The man had not just been killed; his body had been mutilated.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Baki walked into the sunshine and wondered perversely why it had to be such a fine day outside. Two jonin fell in to flank him. He recognized Needle Mouth as the examiner in the arena during the final rounds and the other, Pucker Cheek, as one of the Third Hokage's assistants.

"I am Mitsuki no Baki," said the Sand nin. "This is a Suna Advocate, Sabaku no Temari. I expect you remember her from the chunin exams."

"Genma Shiranui and Raido Namiashi," said Ibiki when the two jonin remained silent, but clearly hostile.

"We have an unfinished duel," Genma finally uttered.

"I thought my forfeiture was obvious," replied Baki with a complacent shrug.

"Afraid to finish it?" suggested Genma.

"Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" asked Temari suddenly. "You two were the Leaf jonin who fought the Sound nins, right?"

"We're fit for guard duty," Raido assured. "How did you know about --"

"Because I'm with Baki's team," said Temari with emphasis. "We killed three of the Sound nins and brought Shikamaru's team back alive."

Genma and Raido looked at each other. They had only been told that Shikamaru had brought his team home battered, but breathing. Ibiki merely nodded his head to confirm Temari's story.

"As you can see, Suna intends to honor the provisional treaty by aiding Konoha, not dueling with you," said Baki.

Ibiki motioned them to move forward. He had deliberately asked Genma to guard Baki to see if the Sand nin could be provoked, but the girl's intervention had deflated the situation.

As they traversed across the lush courtyard, Ibiki called a halt as they passed by the carcass of a pig that hung suspended on a trestle.

"Stop here. We need to collect some evidence."

"Iruka Umino can assure you that Baki has not been out slaughtering pigs in your village." Temari was confused as to the purpose of this delay.

Ibiki shared a smile with the Leaf jonin at the girl's remark. "We know who killed the pig, but that is of no consequence. I need to see the Wind Sword in action before we close Baki's chakra points."

"It's all right, Temari; it's just good forensics and will help drain some chakra," explained Baki. In the next moment the Leaf nins saw his arm move and felt their hair mussed by a wind gust. Then gashes appeared across the porcine carcass.

"Did you see it?" "It was too fast." "But the cut's so deep." Genma and Raido quietly exchanged comments.

Ibiki stepped forward to inspect the carcass. Four neat slashes ripped through skin, fat, bone, and muscle to dissect the heart underneath the ribs. One neatly sliced the left ventricle while the other severed the aorta. A man would have died instantly.

"One more demonstration," said Ibiki as he walked toward a block of marble with a rather hideous statue carved from it. Wings extended at odd angles from a body propped on a third leg that looked like a goat's limb. Worse was the face that induced nightmares. He'd been wanting an excuse to demolish the atrocity, but it would also serve to test the limits of the Wind Sword. "What can you do with this?"

Baki frowned for a moment. "Do you mean improve it or destroy it?"

"Take your pick," said Ibiki casually, although he had not expected the question. Surely the Sand nin wanted to flex his muscles at his rival Leaf nins--and show off for his pretty student--by obliterating the monstrosity. Or perhaps he was reluctant to admit the Wind Sword's limits?

The Wind Sword executed four quick movements to lop off the hideous head, two extra wings, and the third leg. The statue could now pass for art as it resembled a decapitated angel rather than a harpy.

Baki stepped back and muttered to Temari, "Kankuro has a better eye for aesthetics."

"He'd tell you to trim more of the leg, but the decapitation was the critical part," assured Temari.

Genma and Raido just looked at each other. They'd heard of the potential power of the Wind Sword, but had not believed it until now. It was also clear the Sand nin used a one-handed seal.

Genma muttered, "The bastard could have butchered me in the arena."

"Well, at least the Hokage's courtyard has just been improved," Raido offered.

Ibiki finished his inspection of the marble and scowled. This man held himself in tight control. The choice to improve rather than to destroy also vexed him; it didn't fit with the mutilated body he had left to the crows. "Enough, Wind Sword Master."

They completed their walk to the chamber without further delay. Ibiki led them down the steps into what looked like a surgical theatre. It was clear that Baki would be isolated at its center while the Inquisitor, Advocates, and others would be seated looking down at him through the window panes. A single light shone on the examination chair sitting in the middle of the room and cast the rest in shadows.

Temari felt her heart begin to race. The ominous nature of the Inquisition finally hit her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Out of the shadows appeared a young woman with short, black hair framing her face.

"This is Shizune, a medic nin and assistant to Lady Tsunade." Ibiki made quick introduction of the Sand nins, although Shizune quirked at eyebrow at Temari's presence.

Shizune indicated the exam chair to Baki. "Sit down, lean back, and try not to tighten your abdominal muscles too much so that I can administer the drugs. You're body will feel feel drunk once the hypnotics take effect, but there's a psychostimulant that keeps your thoughts alert."

Temari stood beside the chair and watched while the medic nin pushed up Baki's shirt.

Shizune could admire the taut abdominal muscles of the man as she administered an intraperitoneal injection. It seemed to be a slow process as she pulled back on the syringe a bit, then plunged the fluid in.

"Do you have to be so slow?" Temari's voice carried censure.

"Hitting a vessel could kill him before Konoha gets answers. Now to seal the chakra points," said Shizune before turning to the girl to advise, "You better stand aside unless you want to lose your chakra control."

Temari stepped back, but remained in view of Baki while Shizune took a position behind his head. The medic nodded to her colleagues who stood on either side and at the foot of the chair. She then warned Baki, "Try to unleash your chakra and it will backfire and burn you. Don't even think about jutsus or creating seals with your hands."

Baki turned his attention to Temari as the Leaf nins performed the jutsu to seal his chakra points. Although she was standing in the shadows, the light still captured the glint of her blonde hair and evoked images of Suna sunsets and desert roses. Suddenly he felt as if his limbs were hollow. He registered the medic gliding her palm over him before nodding in satisfaction to Ibiki.

"Good. You'll be in optimal shape for the _Buchiakeru_ in about thrity minutes." Shizune kept her tone impersonal as she asked, "Do you claim any injuries from your--encounter--with Hayate Gekko?"

"Right shoulder," murmured Baki. He was starting to feel very relaxed, but his speech was not slurred.

"Then we'll strip your shirt to expose the scar."

"And the head cover," added Ibiki. "We need to make sure he's not hiding a functional left eye. Genma--"

"No, I'll help him," insisted Temari as she moved in front of the chair protectively. Baki hated exposing his disfigured face. "It would be a violation to have any but a Sand nin handle the hitai-ate of a Suna Marshal, especially to just reveal a blind left eye."

Ibiki complied without protest because the camera in the chamber would capture any tricks. He would closely watch the Sand nins while they thought they were alone and unmonitored. He nodded to Shizune.

"Fine, just place his effects in the drawer under the seat of the chair."

Once they were alone, Baki said, "Thanks. I feel as useless as as Hiroko's twins right now."

"They're better at spontaneously stripping than laying still to get dressed. Here, lean forward so I can pull your shirt off. At least you're not wearing your usual turtleneck."

Her hands glided quickly over the hard muscles of his torso, then over the well developed arms to reveal a leaner body than she remembered. "You've been losing weight."

"Haven't been hungry lately, until today," admitted Baki as he leaned back against the headrest. "The Ramen Girl was as pretty as I remembered."

"Oh? So pretty girls spur you appetite?" asked Temari with a frown. Baki was obviously feeling a little drunk. She carefully unwrapped the bindings on his neck that covered the scars of a rope burn. "Here, lean forward again. So, you think Konoha has a lot of pretty women?"

"Mm hm," muttered Baki, then lazily began to recite the list. "The Ramen Girl who brought us lunch, the Panther who tried to kill me, this medic who drugged me. Even the Hokage is nice to look at."

"And the Trenchcoat Chick?" asked Temari with a frown as she removed his forehead protector and tied it around her neck where she wore her own.

"Even she was cute, but I always attract women who are either crazy or skanky. The pretty ones wouldn't want me," sighed Baki as a hand rose to touch the left side of his face when she removed the drape. "Too ugly."

Temari found to her surprise that Baki had not shaved his head as she removed the cowl. "When did you start growing your hair out? I thought you've kept it shaved since you were a boy?"

She touched the short stubble to find it incredibly soft against her hand. It was another sign that Baki had not been taking care of himself lately and she had been too obsessed with his phantom lover to realize it.

"I had too much to do before coming here," murmured Baki as he closed his eyes and moved his head to feel her palm rubbing against his scalp. "Maybe I'll be lucky and get reincarnated as a cat."

"Hm, well, I like it. You should keep the bur," said Temari. Then she traced the scars on his left side and admonished, "And you are not ugly."

Baki looked at her and was surprised to find his hand touching her cheek. "Compared to you, Temari, even a desert rose is ugly."

Temari smiled at his attempt to make her feel special even though she had pressured him into the Inquisition. She covered his hand with hers and opened her mouth to tell him.

Baki's attention fell to her lips and his lack of impulse control meant his actions went unchecked. He leaned forward expecting Temari to shift away and let him fall flat on his face, but he was wrong. Instead, their lips met perfectly.

Soft touch, firm pressure, warmth, all of these sensations became an exchange of comfort. The contact abated the loneliness for him and the swell of pleasure was a welcomed feeling in this darkness for her. It was a sweet, precious moment, but even drugged up, Baki knew to end it before the kiss became a violation of what they shared.

He pulled back to lay his head against the cushion and gently advised, "Be careful how you share your kisses, Temari. They have the power to give a man all sorts of ideas."

"I'll remember that, Sensei, don't worry about me," murmured Temari with a small smile. Her use of his title should reassure him she understood the boundaries.

She efficiently tucked his effects into the drawer Shizune had indicated. "Lady Tsunade will be here soon. Just lean back and rest until then."

Temari stepped out the door and faced the Leaf nins with cool composure. She walked to Ibiki just as he snapped something shut. "Captain Morino, Baki is ready for the Hokage. I will go help my brothers until she arrives."

Temari didn't wait to be dismissed, but immediately turned. She walked through the courtyard and a sad smile touched her face. A girl was supposed to remember her first kiss and Baki's demonstration had been thorough and quite wonderful.

But she feared the memory would be tinged with guilt for her part in pushing him into the Inquisition. Her hand touched her lips and she murmured again, "I'll remember, Baki, come what may."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Temari entered the Hokage's office to find Kankuro and Gaara alone, except for the guard inside the door, but with a folder open before them. "What's going on? Where's Iruka?"

"He's gone to confirm some details on the autopsy of Hayate Gekko. Look, this is why Konoha wants Baki's blood." Kankuro swiped the folder from Gaara's hand and gave it to Temari.

She inspected the picture without blanching and calmly closed it. "Baki will decapitate to kill, but he wouldn't mutilate the body like that. Someone else did it, probably that Kabuto."

"Fess up. What do you know? What makes you so sure?" asked Kankuro. "We need to convince the Leaf nins about this."

Temari sat on the floor and pressed her lips together while she considered what to tell her brothers. "You know that Hiroko and Baki were on the same genin team? Well, her father was their sensei and her twin brother, Hikaru, was the third member. Hiroko lost her brother and father on the same mission that also destroyed Baki's parents."

"What do you mean by destroyed?" asked Gaara.

"Baki watched as his mother was raped in body and mind; his father being subjected to the blood eagle. You know, that's where they--they--"

"Crack the ribs open at the spine and pull out the lungs." Kankuro shook his head at the thought.

Temari nodded.

"No wonder he's always so controlled." Kankuro sat back and shivered. He couldn't imagine how he'd deal with seeing Temari used like that. "So that's why he's upset about potentially losing his mind."

"Hiroko says they used some sort of jutsu that extracted his mother's rational mind and crushed it. Baki's mother couldn't stand to see any male, even her own son, once they got her back," said Temari. "He was twelve when it happened. He'd faithfully visit his mother, but could only watch her deterioration through the window to her room."

"Hey, she's not still alive, is she?" asked Kankuro.

"Baki found her one day when she had shredded the skin off her body with her fingernails. She managed to get a knife at the hospital when they thought she was sedated and killed herself."

Kankuro whistled. "That explains why he's so wary about dealing with women."

"But Baki's history does not explain why he would not mutilate the body," pointed out Gaara coldly. "Furthermore, I doubt he wants such details exposed to Konoha."

"You're right, Gaara, but now we know what line of questions to object to," explained Kankuro.

"Captain Morino had Baki use the Wind Sword on a pig carcass. Iruka should make sure to get that evidence."

"Go find him while we finish looking through the law books."

Temari left to see to the errand and had been gone for a while when Tsunade burst through the door and pointed to Kankuro. "You, come with me."

Kankuro was puzzled by the command, but after taking one step forward, jerked to a stop to talk to Gaara. "Hey, any of Baki's contributions to the treaty are noted with the Mitsuki kamon, right?"

"Yes." Gaara's terse reply belied the fact that he had personally inscribed the three official copies of the treaty. Damn his perfect penmanship! Then he realized why Kankuro brought up the subject. "I'll review his contributions."

Kankuro just nodded, then marched in double time to comply with the Hokage. She motioned him into a side room with a monitor on a desk. "I want to know what you make of this?"

Kankuro crossed his arms and watched the scene unfold on the monitor. Temari was helping Baki remove his shirt and head covering when--

"Man, this is creepy."

Tsunade nodded. "I see you agree."

"Yeah, are all you Leaf nins voyeurs or something, Lady Hokage? I've heard about the Toad Sage with his kinky books, but you didn't really expect to get Baki so drugged up he'd violate my sister, did you? That's really sick."

"He kissed her!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Kankuro just shrugged. "Lady Hokage, Baki's not some pervert and that kiss wasn't some smashed-faced groping."

"She's his student! That trust should never be compromised." Tsunade still regretted she had not intervened for Anko with Orochimaru.

"We were all Baki's students; now we're his colleagues. And Temari is a big girl. I've seen her emasculate guys who tried make a move on her, but she looked like she was cooperating."

Kankuro squinted at the image the Hokage had rewound and frozen on the monitor. Actually, the kiss made him feel justified he had not yet destroyed the betrothal contract between the two as Baki had instructed. Perhaps the Kazekage had finally done something right by forcing it on the jonin before the Konoha mission. Still, they couldn't afford to have Tsunade perform the _Buchiakeru_ if she thought ill of the Sand nin; she had his very sanity in her hands.

The Puppet Master quickly ran through the catalog of stories in his memory and for once prayed he could talk to a woman without sounding like a fool. Kagami! Yes, he'd pretend he was explaining something to her. He straightened up and his voice sounded confident.

"Look, as far as I'm concerned, Baki has been treating my sister with the honor, respect, and affection a man would give to the most important woman in his life."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Baki honored Temari by bequeathing her his house. He respected her wishes to undergo the Inquisition. He showed her she still held his affection even though she pushed him into an event that could leave him mindless. It was a kiss of absolution. Now I don't see anything wrong with that, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade considered this interpretation and sat back to watch the entire exchange this time. Ibiki had suggested that Baki was as perverted as Orochimaru and Jiraiya put together. But now on review of the kiss, it didn't seem disgusting but quite sweet. In fact, she now realized that Baki was the one who ended it and that Temari didn't seem upset by any of it.

"Kid, in a weird way, I think I follow you."

"Good," sighed Kankuro. "I mean, thank you for understanding my rambling explanation, Lady Hokage. But this should remain a private moment between them. I'll formally object if anyone tries to twist this into something it's not during the Inquisition. I will not have my sister's reputation impugned."

"All right, I better see to the _Buchiakeru_." They walked back to the office, but before Tsunade left, she observed, "You're all quite faithful to each other, aren't you?"

"We had an excellent teacher," replied Kankuro. "Temari should be with Iruka. She'll want to be present when you perform the_Buchiakeru_."

- - - - - - - - - -

Baki felt as if he was drifting through a dream, although oddly lucid at the same time. He heard footsteps echoing and soon saw faces staring down at him. Someone put his arms into the restraints, but it was a familiar voice that reassured him.

"You could fall if you're not tied to the chair."

"Temari?"

"The Hokage is going to perform the _Buchiakeru_ now. Don't lose yourself, Baki."

That was the last thing he registered before he heard the voice of the Hokage and felt her hands on his forehead.

He was back in Suna at the Council chambers, arguing about some point, but he soon realized the whole Council was against him. Each member charged him with incompetence and condemned him to a suffocating pile of paperwork that engulfed him. Baki called a wind jutsu and the scrolls became a paper cyclone that swept him away and he let it carry him.

He fell into the gulch where they had found the Kazekage's body. Baki stood and faced his sin of omission in not recognizing the threat. The Kazekage stood before him, his body mummified by the dry winds. The veil hid the face, but the raging voice echoed in his mind. Baki had failed him and would pay. He dodged the Sand Sword, but with each strike, the Kazekage first became Gaara, then Kankuro, and even Temari. Temari. She wasn't a sand shifter; she was like him, a wind user. Baki quit dodging and knelt before her, ready to accept the blow.

And the wind cast him into the the sky over Sunagakure where he recognized the Kazekage's Tower and leapt in through a window. He rolled on the floor and caught his breath. He heard voices, a boy and a girl shouting, and moved quickly to open the rooms to find them empty, although the voices still echoed around him. He was their Sensei and it was irresponsible to lose them. Then he saw the Shukaku with Kankuro and Temari's young bodies crushed in the sand. He called his Wind Sword to strike and plunged through the beast.

And fell into the Suna borderlands to find himself buried to his head in a large sand dune, alone and without help, unable to perform hand seals. But he was whole, no scars marred his face, both eyes could see clearly. On the horizon he could detect a pack of jackals converging on him. They were howling in the wind and when they reached him, the cacophony rang in his ears. One beast put his jaws around his head, a fang tearing his left eye. But Baki felt himself laughing. The jackals were digging at the sand surrounding his body. One hand came free and the Wind Sword swept away the pack of jackals.

They fell as jewels onto the ground and Baki realized he was in the Crystal Caves. He expected Tengu, but instead he found himself alone again with his voice echoing off the cliffs of the glade. The water of the pool began churning and to his dismay, he saw the bodies of all the young girls of the Shugyoku Clan floating like pale wraiths. Kagami's eyes opened to look up at him, each one a glittering, golden topaz. He reached to pull her out, but her image dissolved and he realized Kagami was a reflection. The girl stood behind him and he understood he had a choice. Fall into the pool with the wraiths or let her enclose him in the blown glass chamber. He spread his arms in supplication and felt the glass bubble floating away once she sealed him within.

He was riding a torrential current that jarred him within the chamber. His face was pressed against the glass and he realized he was outside of his mother's room, peering in at the woman who had given him birth. She was whispering, always whispering, scratching her body as she tried to tear away her corrupted skin. And the rope was again around his neck as the rogue nins garroted him him in front of his mother, the rope burning into his flesh.

And again he relived his biggest failure, watching his mother defiled, her mind crushed, his father slaughtered, his sensei and best friend burned alive. He heard Hiroko's cries and knew they would start on her next; she was just a girl, more a tomboy than a young lady. He had to do something!

But when he next scanned the scene, it was Temari who was captured while Kankuro and Gaara were being tortured. He realized that this time, he knew how to use the Wind Sword and guide its power. Back then he had called a force he did not fully understand and had butchered the rogue nins with the fallout more by chance than skill. He could finally accept the failure of his youth, but he would not fail his present team. He was Baki and the Wind Sword was his to command. He struck with all his power!

"Baki?"

His eyes fluttered opened and he felt someone wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Baki? Do you know who I am? Dammit, Baki, you answer me right now!"

"Temari." Baki smiled. He didn't realize how hoarse his voice sounded when he added, "You really are a bossy thing."

"I have to be to deal with the men in my life," replied Temari in relief. "Do you know where you are?"

"Chamber of Horror otherwise known as the Inquisition in Konohagakure. Damn, I want this over with. And some water."

Tsunade stepped forward to assure, "We're ready to begin. Inquisitor, Advocates, Councilors? Take your places."

Temari took the water bottle that Shizune offered and helped Baki drink. When he was finished, she said, "Remember, we're all up there as Advocates to help you. Follow our orders about what to answer. Anything you say will be considered as truth."

Baki nodded and soon found himself alone in the chamber and as vulnerable as a child confessing his sins to his parents. He had survived the_Buchiakeru_ with his sanity. Now if only he could survive the Inquisition with his life.

_End Chapter Four_

**Author notes:**

_Buchiakeru_ means to forcefully open a hole in a wall or can mean to speak directly, so I thought the word captured the essence of what I wanted here. I was expecting to write the hearing, but found Baki's story inserting itself.

I apologize if the chapter seemed to ramble at times, but all elements are important for the outcome, from what Kankuro gains in reading Kagami's letter, to discovering that the Leaf nins are riled because of how Hayate's body was mutilated. Now, the Wind Sword does plenty of damage on its own, but the kill was quick. I'll explain what really happened with the next chapter, so please be patient. I think you can already guess.

I inserted Ibiki, Genma, and Raido here because they suited my needs. I mean, who else would be the Inquisitor? I realize the latter two had just been in the hospital, so I realize I might be messing with canon. And the statue that Baki trims now looks like Winged Victory.

The only unnecessary thing was the side story with Iruka and Ayame. I'm not a devout shipper or anything, but I thought the pairing was cute and would set the stage for what happens later in the chamber between Temari and Baki.

Temari and Baki. I'm not trying to write a romance in this particular chapter, but if you've been keeping up with the series (Dry Winds, Forceful Winds, now Howling Winds) you'll be familiar with the background and the evolving relationship between the two. No, I don't condone romantic teacher-student relationships which is why I have carefully worked to establish Temari's current status, although nothing will dismiss the age difference between the two. The kiss was important if only to have Tsunade troubled by Baki's actions and suspicious of him.

Thanks for waiting and reading. It took longer to get this posted, but I have found that if I try to rush something, I won't be satisfied, which is the first sign the effort is not worth posting. Thank you for the reviews and continuing support. I hope this one doesn't disappoint.


	5. Inquisition

Summary: Baki answers questions, but the truth can be painful.

Scene changes denote conversations in the Upper chamber, which Baki cannot hear, vs what he hears in the Lower chamber, the theatre.

**Howling Winds**  
_**Inquisition**_

_Konohagakure  
The Inquisition_

The contingent sat in chairs that encircled the theatre below where Baki was confined. Tsunade sat in a high-backed chair with Shizune and the Advocates, who were Iruka, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, to her left. On her right was Ibiki and four Council members. Baki himself would only be able to hear their voices when they activated the microphones on the table in front of them. Thus, the discussions in the chamber would be muted from the man on trial.

Shizune explained the procedures. "According to the guidelines of the Inquisition, the defendant, Mitsuki no Baki, has been prepared so that his words only utter the truth--as he knows it. The Inquisitor leads the line of questions henceforth with deference to the Hokage. The Advocates can only offer objections and request clarification. We will begin with statements from both the Inquisitor, Ibiki Morino, and the lead Advocate, Iruka Umino."

Ibiki was succinct. "Mitsuki no Baki came to us freely admitting that he had killed Hayate Gekko. My purpose is to define the motives of this butcher and to provide details to this heinous crime so that no uncertainty exists when you, the Godaime Hokage and her Advisory Council, order his execution."

Iruka decided to be more elaborate because as an Advocate, he was limited in steering the direction of the questioning. "We propose that the testimony will show that while Mitsuki no Baki is responsible for the death of Hayate Gekko, he was not the one to defile the body. Furthermore, we ask the Council to remember that Baki was acting not as an assassin, but as a soldier performing his duty.

I have supplied copies of the provisional treaty with Suna for a reason. You will note that all the contributions that bear the Mitsuki kamon deal with actions to engender trust between our two countries. You will find that one such statement declares that under no conditions will a corpse be desecrated. This is not the mindset of a man who at heart is a butcher.

Mitsuki no Baki refrained from lethal attacks in the arena during the ongoing invasion as soon as he realized Orochimaru's treachery. He even removed a greater threat, his student Gaara, from the Leaf Village, by ordering his team away. Finally, he surrendered to Konoha of his own volition to bring closure to the recent tragedy.

These actions indicate he understands that Fire and Wind countries must form an alliance based on trust and the actions of both cohorts need to reflect this. Konoha needs such men in Suna and I ask that you consider that before you accede to his execution."

Tsunade looked at the serious faces of the Sabaku siblings. She took a deep breath and said, "Inquisitor, you may begin."

- - - - -

The lights shining onto the chair at the center of the theatre prevented Baki from seeing anyone, so the questions came to him as disembodied voices emanating from the shadows that consumed the rest of the room. He felt as if he were suspended in darkness otherwise, nothing more than a mental being. The questions seemed to echo in his mind, flitting within a swirl of emotion, before he found the capacity to respond.

"State your name and current rank."

"Mitsuki no Baki." There was a pause. "You sure you want all my current titles?"

"Indulge us; we have time."

"Wind Sword Master, Elite Suna jonin, Chief of Detonations and Demolitions, Chief Examiner for Wind Masters, Chief...

- - - - -

Among the Advocates, Gaara asked, "Why is the Inquisitor asking about Baki's rank?"

"Ibiki has to establish Baki's status and character to the Council," replied Iruka.

Kankuro muttered, "Damn, I keep forgetting how overworked Baki is."

"You mean none of those are honorary titles?" asked Iruka quietly. "Does the man ever take a vacation?"

"Vacations never turn out well for him," explained Temari. She held back a smile as Kankuro mouthed Nightingale Country to her.

- - - - - -

"...Marshal of the Eastern Sector, and Chief Administrator of the Suna Ruling Council."

"Why did you omit being sensei to the Sabaku family?"

"Objection. Serving as Sensei to the Sabaku family is no longer an official assignment; therefore, Baki correctly omitted that title." Temari's voice was confident.

"So noted." Ibiki addressed Baki again. "But you were their sensei during the recent chunin exams in Konohagakure?"

"Yes, I was."

"And what did you think of your genin?"

Iruka interrupted. "Objection. That is irrelevant to the charge."

"It is pertinent to the true nature of Suna's mission. Now, answer the question. What did you think of your genin? Start with the girl, Temari."

"Temari has always been scary; what the hell did I know about training a girl? Lucky for me she was a a tomboy. Still, she played the little mother to her brothers. She gave the sense of family to the team. She's beautifully lethal and during the chunin exams, I thought she was becoming cruel."

"And Kankuro?"

"Kankuro is weird; he thrives on that. Still, he's been my favorite student. When he focuses, he's as deadly as his brother. I thought that Kankuro wasn't taking things seriously until the final round of the chunin exams. Then he showed he was a true shinobi."

"What did he do?"

"He forfeited his match. Kankuro understood our mission wasn't about advancing to chunin. The stakes were higher than that."

"You're referring to slaughtering the innocent in Konoha?"

"Objection. Records show only active shinobi from the Leaf village were among the casualties." Iruka knew that Ibiki was trying to prejudice the Council.

"So they do," conceded Ibiki quickly before continuing. "Tell me about Gaara."

"Gaara was so unstable during the chunin exams, I didn't know what to expect"

"You've had issues with the boy?"

"Issues? If you call trying to kill each other an issue, then, yes, we've had issues."

"So you admit to wanting to kill your own student?"

"We understand each other. We'll kill each other if we find it necessary."

- - - - -

Ibiki turned to the Council for a brief summary. "As you can see, he admits to his blood lust."

"No."

The word was spoken by Gaara and met with silence. He seemed to be struggling to find the words to explain until Kankuro nudged him. "The only time Baki has attacked me was to defend the innocent. I cannot say the same."

Iruka relaxed a bit after that statement. "It seems the Inquisitor should look for this blood lust somewhere else."

Ibiki merely smirked. "I shall."

Temari felt a shiver go up her spine at that confident tone. She looked down at Baki and frowned in concern. The man wasn't a butcher, but one did not become a Suna Wind Sword by dueling with dandelions.

- - - - - -

"Let's turn to the general issue of killing. How many deaths can you account for during your illustrious career?"

"I don't keep a body count on regular missions or self-defense." The man frowned and added, "But there are fifty-three assassination missions, all solo."

"I would have expected more," inserted Ibiki as he estimated the man's career as a jonin.

"That was in a five year span, from the time I became jonin to the time I was appointed as Marshal," clarified Baki.

"That's a lot of activity for that period of time."

"I had a gift," uttered Baki with a shrug. "But any fool can kill, I do so to protect my village."

"Really? I know Suna allows sword duels. Aren't you forgetting those?"

"The village is better served if imbeciles are eliminated," proclaimed Baki. "Young fools forget that training in kenpo is the first step to wielding a weapon as powerful as nature."

"And how many duels have you fought?"

Baki frowned. "I'm not sure. I have kept ten katana, so at least that many."

"You keep the man's katana as a memento?" asked Ibiki with interest.

"Only if my opponent was unworthy of his sword. I take it to prevent further abuse of a fine weapon. I tell the family they can reclaim it when they send someone who knows how to wield a sword. I've yet to return a katana."

- - - - - -

Ibiki turned to the Council. "The man has a history for killing in stealth and even keeps trophies from his victims in duels. He would appear to be little more than a state sanctioned serial killer."

"Objection." Kankuro held his temper and stated confidently. "The same could apply to a number of Suna or Leaf jonin, even the Inquisitor himself. The proof is in your record in the Hokage's office."

Tsuanade frowned. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Captain Morino's general stats were in the file you gave to us about the case," reminded Kankuro and offered a bow of apology when Temari kicked him under the table. "Forgive us if we overstepped your intended generosity."

"I forgot the page was in there," said Tsunade with a shake of her head. "You're a nuisance, you know."

"That is a label I'm willing to accept, Lady Hokage," said Kankuro.

"Inquisitor, continue, but refrain from giving all shinobi the label of serial killer."

"I'll be certain to pursue what makes this shinobi different," assured Ibiki.

- - - - - -

"We've established that you killed at least ten men in duels and that you once operated as an assassin for Suna on fifty-three missions. Still, you say you don't keep a body count of regular missions. How old were you when you killed your first enemy."

Silence.

"Surely you remember your first kill?"

Silence.

"Didn't your first kill register in your memory? Or have there been so many--"

"I was twelve."

"Objection! Baki, you don't need to provide any more details; you've answered the question." Temari interrupted.

"Surely the man can offer the circumstances?"

"Objection. Baki has answered the question," called Temari with growing desperation.

Ibiki ignored her and continued to prod, "Was it a duel, a mission, self-defense, assassination?"

"Self-defense. Execution. Revenge. Justice." Baki spoke each word as if it were being pulled out of his throat.

"Which one was it?"

- - - - - - -

"Objection. Lady Hokage, there is no need for further--" began Kankuro as he added his voice to his sister's objections. Temari's growing distress indicated the memory should be left unprovoked and now he knew why. It was related to the crimes committed against Baki's parents.

But a gasp from everyone looking down into the chamber brought his attention back to the Sand nin strapped to the chair. Baki's arms were pulling against the restraints and he appeared to be having a seizure. The swirl of chakra rising in his hand was becoming evident.

"Oh shit!" Kankuro didn't realize he was shouting.

In the next moment the glass shattered around them as the Wind Sword extended from the chair in the theatre below and swept like a lance around the perimeter. Council members were shrieking and Ibiki was invoking a shield jutsu when sand started flowing into the chamber to encase the jonin below. Bands of sand soon restrained Baki's legs, torso, and arms to keep the wind lance from moving.

Temari leapt down to the chair and ordered, "Withdraw. Now, Baki! You will harm innocent bystanders just like the Inquisitor wants. Stand down."

Temari felt the torrent dissipate and gently closed his hand. Ibiki was soon next to Baki and with a quick right jab, struck his jaw. The Sand nin fell back unconscious just as the contingent of Leaf and Sand nins joined them in the theatre.

- - - - - - -

"How the hell did this happen?" Tsunade pinned everyone with her gaze.

"L-Lady Tsuande, I don't kn-know!" Shizune was distressed at her incompetence. The chakra sealing jutsu was one she had perfected long ago.

"The drugs are supposed to sedate him. His chakra flow is supposed to be blocked. " Tsunade added with a frustrated shout. "He's not even supposed to be able to call a Wind Sword inside a building!"

"Baki is an exceptional Wind Sword Master," replied Gaara and his quiet tone seemed to take the bluster out of the situation. "The Inquisitor's question probably evoked a flashback to that first kill. I assume he broke through the _kaimon_ chakra gate to do it."

"But the truth is, Baki isn't limited on when he can call the Wind Sword anymore," admitted Kankuro. He knew the jonin specifically worked on this after being captured in Nightingale Country. "He can wield it whenever he wants and wherever he is."

Iruka took a deep breath. He wiped a hand across his face and said, "Baki came to us without weapons, but he could have left the cell any time he wanted." He looked at Ibiki and added, "You saw what he did to that marble statue. The walls of the Hokage's Tower could not have kept him in."

"He should have been restrained from the beginning," commented Ibiki. "He would have been had he been handed over to me."

"Did you have to hit him?" Temari asked a bit testily of Ibiki.

"Actually, Baki shouldn't be pumped full of any more drugs," informed Shizune.

"We should add the chakra restraints to his hands to prevent another incident, Lady Tsunade," inserted Ibiki.

"If his mental barriers had remained in place, this wouldn't have happened," reminded Temari.

Tsunade merely sighed and joined Ibiki by the chair that held Baki. The Inquisitor gave a disgruntled look toward Temari.

"Please, Lady Hokage, isn't there some way to block the emotion from this memory and not compromise the Inquisition? It happened over eighteen years ago," pleaded Temari. She made a respectful bow. "As Advocates of Suna, we object to any more questions regarding this incident. I claim diplomatic immunity on Baki's behalf since the event is in sealed records of Suna, but I don't want to see him suffer through anymore flashbacks."

"I can probably adjust the mental barriers without compromising recent events," replied Tsunade. "But to be safe, keep your questions to recent history, Ibiki."

"Thank you. Both," replied Temari. "Gaara, release the sand."

Temari then turned to Tsunade to say, "His right hand is crippled now. He's no danger; he can't call a Wind Sword."

"I can heal it after I restore a bit of his emotional barriers," assured Tsunade. She first touched his forehead, then she took Baki's hand in both of hers. The green flow of healing chakra surrounded the injured hand for a moment before she released it. "Time will mend the rest, but for his sake, the restraints would prevent another injury."

Ibiki then activated the chakra restraints around Baki's wrists while the Hokage reinforced them.

Tsunade stepped back and looked at the sad, disappointed expression on her assistant's face. The girl would berate herself needlessly for this fiasco. "Shizune, wake him up."

The medic nin brightened at the command and a chance to be useful again. She touched Baki's temple and soon the man was blinking his eyes open.

"Baki, report," commanded Kankuro, unwittingly sounding just like the Kazekage. The simple order helped the jonin capture his wits.

"Konoha. Inquisition. Damn, my hand hurts as badly as when--" Baki stopped and cringed. "Wind Sword?"

"The pain in your hand is from breaking a chakra gate, but the Hokage has healed it to prevent permanent damage," assured Temari .

Baki turned his head away from her and let it fall against the headrest of the chair. Then he winced again. "Who clipped my jaw?"

"That would be me," admitted Ibiki almost brightly.

"Felt good, did it?" muttered Baki.

"Exceedingly so," replied the Inquisitor.

"Glad to oblige," said Baki as he closed his eyes. "Can we get this over with? I'm really getting fatigued."

"We'll reconvene in five minutes. Everyone back to chambers," declared Tsunade.

- - - - - -

"As the Hokage has directed, let's focus on recent events. What did you think of Konoha when you came for the recent chunin exams?"

"Too many trees, can't see the horizon unless you climb the cliffs. Too humid. Too many pollens. Lots of pretty women, though."

"Ah, and did you spend your time with any of our fine kunoichi?"

"What do you mean by time? I spoke when necessary." Baki frowned as if trying to remember. "I did run into the crazy Trenchcoat Chick at a bar."

"You refer to Anko Mitarashi? The proctor for the Forest of Death?"

"Yes."

"What was the nature of your association with Anko?"

"She bought me a few drinks."

"That's all?"

"Well, I don't blame her for the brawl at the bar, if that's what you mean."

"Tell us about that. Were you trying to recruit her for Orochimaru?"

"Why would the Viper be interested in a dango addicted kunoichi? He seems to prefer boys."

"Answer the question."

"No, I would have avoided Anko except I had a bad day of chasing down Gaara. She offered me a drink and I accepted. I didn't realize how drunk she was. Picked a fight with some Grass nins who bumped into her. It would have been dishonorable to leave Anko to fight alone."

"Think women are weak?"

"You're kidding? The scariest people I know are women." Baki shook his head. "No, Anko just seemed too drunk to deal with the jerks. She was outnumbered, so I stepped in. Then the Jolly Green jonin--"

"You mean Guy?"

"Yes, Guy joined the fray and slugged me by accident. Slept it off at his place and I heard the details about the night from him in the morning."

"You're quite the hypocrite, aren't you? You make plans to invade Konoha, yet you fight alongside the Leaf nins?"

"The invasion was pending, not a fact, so by rights, Leaf and Wind Country were allies at the time. Besides, a gentleman upholds the honor of a woman regardless of her circumstances."

"How noble. You didn't think it would be a prelude to seducing Anko?"

"Did you think helping her get home that night was?" asked Baki fluidly. "Guy told me you took care of Anko."

- - - - -

The twittering by Council members in the chamber was very irritating to Ibiki, but he had to appreciate how Baki had turned the question on him. Even the Hokage had arched an eyebrow at this last revelation.

At the Advocates table, Iruka was trying very hard to suppress a grin. He heard Kankuro mutter to Temari, "And you thought this Anko was Baki's true love? I don't think he'd want to mess with Ibiki for her hand."

Temari just jabbed her brother with her elbow. "Shut up. I was just confused about his reasons for coming to Konoha."

"Am I missing something here?" asked Gaara quietly. He didn't quite understand the levity in the chambers.

"I'll explain later, bro," assured Kankuro with a wink to his brother.

"Ahem, I think we have exhausted the information we need regarding the, er, brawl at the bar. It is also evident that Baki had no designs on coaxing Anko Mitarashi to Orochimaru," proclaimed Iruka. "It is in the best interest of the defendant to continue a different line of questioning unless the Hokage would like to pursue the Inquisitor's actions that night."

Outwardly Ibiki maintained his stoic demeanor and said, "My motives are not in question here. Let's proceed to the invasion plans."

- - - - - - - -

"Tell me about the preparations you made to invade Konoha. Did Suna invite the Sound nins?"

"No. That damn Viper came to us and we were foolish enough to go along with his idea."

"Enlighten us about this purpose."

"Suna formed a pact with Sound to invade Konoha. Seems pretty stupid now. Never felt right about trusting that Viper or his little twerp, Kabuto--but Suna was being strangled by our own Daimyo."

"What made you so enamored of Sound?"

"The Kazekage wasn't enamored by anything. I was to call a retreat once the Shukaku was unleashed on Konohagakure. If the demon destroyed both Sound and Leaf, all the better."

"The Kazekage seems rather devious."

"The Kazekage was devious. He even took an interest in my team and trained them before the chunin exams. I barely recognized them, they were so callous and cruel, just like Gaara. He even--he even." Baki opened his mouth, but no sound came out, then one name fell from his lips. "Temari."

"Baki, you've explained enough." Kankuro stepped in to disrupt this line of revelations. He didn't want Temari to find out how their father had planned to use her.

"What did the Kazekage do to his daughter? Did he abuse her?" continued Ibiki, thinking he had something to pursue.

"Objection! The Kazekage might have been a bastard, but he wasn't a pervert!" Kankuro's outburst generated a heavy silence.

- - - - - - -

In the upper chamber, a woman's voice broke the disquieting atmosphere.

"My father," began Temari with as much composure as she could muster, "would have married me off to a stranger if I didn't follow his orders. That's all Baki meant and I expect the Inquisitor to be satisfied with that answer."

Tsunade empathized with the girl and immediately directed, "Let's get to Hayate Gekko's death."

- - - - - - -

"Tell us about the little twerp. Kabuto. How often did you meet in Konohagakure?"

"Once."

"Elaborate for us."

"It was a full moon while we prepared for the final rounds of he chunin exams. We watched Gaara take out one of the Sound genin. Kabuto didn't give a damn about it, though. Even admitted he'd deliberately revealed himself as a traitor. Stupid little shit. I told him if he pulled any more stunts like that, Suna would not support the Sound invasion. The Kazekage had yet to commit to the final plan."

"How does Hayate Gekko fit into this night?"

"Coughing. We both heard the suppressed cough. At the time it only confirmed for me that Leaf nins were stupid as well as weak, just like the Kazekage told us."

"You're opinion of Leaf jonin wasn't very high."

"Konoha let Kabuto get away and then sent an incompetent operative to spy on him. A man with a chronic cough cannot rely on stealth. Even a Suna genin knows that."

"Hayate acted on his own," Ibiki noted. "Still, he managed to discover your little plan to betray Konoha."

"The discovery was moot since he didn't live to report it," replied Baki easily. "And to lead a Wind Sword on a chase across the rooftops? That's ridiculous; it just took me that much closer to calling the force I need. Of course, he was so ignorant he didn't even recognize the tattoos on my face."

"We aren't here to judge Hayate's competency," inserted Ibiki.

"Well, you should to prevent a repeat of it. I know he was a popular man, a good man; Iruka told me about him. But being a good man is not the same as being an effective shinobi."

"Stick to the events of the night in question. You've admitted to killing Hayate Gekko. Tell us about that."

"Kabuto gave me the plans and ended our meeting by declaring he would deal with the intruder."

"Kabuto offered to kill him?" interjected the the Hokage. By her side Shizune was smirking. She had been suspicious of Kabuto's note declaring he could not have killed Hayate.

"Kabuto seemed to be reveling in anticipation, but I didn't trust the little twerp. I volunteered to show Sound that Suna was committed to the pact between us."

"You were ready to betray an existing alliance for one that had not been finalized?" suggested Baki.

"Protecting the interests of my country took precedence and the information would first imperil my team in Konoha. I could not allow that."

"You went after Hayate alone?"

"I figured it was the Leaf proctor by the sound of the cough, so I knew it would be over quickly."

"You gave chase?"

"I followed him up to the rooftops. Landed right by him and swung with a left hook, but he evaded that."

"Why didn't you call your Wind Sword for an immediate strike?"

"I don't like having the odds so uneven. Thought maybe I'd knock him out, take him as prisoner to Suna until the invasion was over since I was heading for the Sunagakure. The Kazekage could then decide to execute him."

"What happened next?"

"Hayate had somersaulted out of the way of my strike. Impressive for one so unhealthy, so I began wondering if I hadn't underestimated him, if he knew how to use that sword strapped to his back. I stood waiting to see what he would do, whether he would make a stand and use the sword."

"Who attacked first?" asked Ibiki. He would let the Suna man damn himself with the truth.

"Hayate pulled out his sword and ran at me. He invoked the Dance of the Crescent Moons." Baki's voice took on a tone of wonder. "It was such an elegant maneuver that I finally had to admire his abilities. He was younger than any nin I'd ever seen perform that jutsu."

Ibiki frowned and asked, "So you used your Wind Sword to fend off the attack?"

"No, that would have interrupted the flow of the dance. I suppose it takes a true Leaf nin to perform it right. Few kenjutsu masters live to see one executed so flawlessly."

"Few men live through an attack of that kenjutsu. How is it you survived?"

"I anticipated the trajectory of the proctor and his two clones. His sword bit into the flesh of my right shoulder before I used sand armor to capture the blade, but I had caught the true Hayate Gekko."

- - - - - - -

"I can confirm the scar on his shoulder is from a recently healed wound," announced Shizune in the upper chamber. In response, several council members craned their necks to see the scar on the man's bare torso and nodded.

"And I can confirm that Baki can call on sand armor with sufficient preparation. In this case, the attack was anticipated and the region of his body he needed to protect was limited," added Gaara.

When Tsunade looked at the boy, Kankuro explained, "Gaara is the premier expert on Sand jutsus in Suna, Lady Hokage."

"The Kazekage appointed Baki as our sensei because he had a wide range of abilities, but he's also learned about Sand jutsus from working with Gaara all these years," verified Temari.

"If your comments are finished, I need to get back to questions regarding the murder of Hayate Gekko," said Ibiki tersely.

"Wait. I want Baki to clarify something for us," inserted Iruka.

Tsunade nodded and so the Leaf chunin asked the next question.

- - - - - - - -

Iruka asked his question to emphasize the sequence of events to the Council. "Baki, Hayate struck first and drew first blood? Is that what you're saying?"

"I didn't get the scar on my shoulder from self-mutilation," said Baki dryly.

"Would you describe the encounter as a duel, then?"

Baki frowned. "We met in single combat, but I gave him a free shot at me. I don't do that on a field of battle, but I will do that in a duel when I want to see a master's technique. I suppose that I was thinking of it as duel."

Ibiki cast a frown at Iruka. "If the Advocate is finished?" Iruka nodded, so Ibiki took control of the questions again. "Tell us about the death blow."

"I held onto his sword with my left hand and called the Wind Sword to finish it. The man was not afraid of death, he was doing his duty, and although I thought him foolish in his actions, I could understand his noble motives. I slashed through his torso. Four times. I left his katana in his hand, though, for giving me the honor to witness the Crescent Moon jutsu."

"And then?" prodded Ibiki.

"One does not survive a strike from a Wind Sword. Hayate was dead before his body fell."

"I meant what did you do next?"

"I left."

"You left the body."

"I saw no sense in hauling a corpse to Sunagakure." Baki frowned again. "I made sure Gaara was back in his room and caught the wind currents to Sunagakure. Then things got--strange."

"What was strange?" asked Ibiki. He thought Baki would finally describe the mutilation.

"The Kazekage only met me in formal chambers, face veiled, screen drawn. I think my lord had already been assassinated and replaced by Orochimaru. And fool that I was, I didn't question him. I'm just a soldier, after all. So the lives that Suna lost--and Konoha--all of that could have been prevented if I hadn't been blinded by duty."

Silence.

"That's rather arrogant of you, isn't it? You think one man could have made a difference?" goaded Ibiki.

"One man is often all it takes. If I had questioned the Kazekage, if Hayate Gekko had evaded detection, if you had taken me in for questioning after the barroom brawl..."

Baki's voice dropped off and he frowned. "That was a setup, wasn't? Anko wasn't interested in me, she wanted more information about Suna, about my team." He suddenly laughed, "You Leaf nins aren't as dumb as you look."

The Hokage's voice now interrupted, "Inquisitor, I think you should enlighten us. Did you engage in an unauthorized operation to get to Marshal Baki?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade, we were very curious about Team Baki, these genin who could make it through the Forest of Death and beat even a jonin's time."

"So Anko started the brawl so that you'd have the opportunity to take me into custody. She would have dragged me into the fight even if I hadn't entered the fray. But then Guy intervened." Baki nodded as if he appreciated the machinations.

"He's always had lousy timing," sighed Ibiki. "I would have had access to you for a few hours before anyone from Suna found out and I would have put that time to good use."

"So did Guy really knock me out or were the drinks spiked?" asked Baki.

"It was all Guy," admitted Ibiki freely. He thought to engender a sense of camaraderie with the Sand nin now. "He dragged you off before I could insist on arresting you. I had to hold Anko back from attacking him, an action he obviously misunderstood. He can be rather annoying."

"Guy is annoying, but you're definitely a pain in the ass," said Baki.

"Comes with the job," countered Ibiki. "So let's get back to Hayate's death. You left the body."

"I left the body. How many times are you going to ask me that?"

"Until you can explain this." Ibiki activated an image that appeared on the ceiling of the theatre for all to see.

The occupants of the chamber gasped.

- - - - - -

"Lady Tsunade, is this necessary?" asked Iruka.

The image revealed the mutilated corpse of Hayate Gekko left as a blood eagle.

"Turn off the image. Now!" cried Temari.

"Crap, not again," called Kankuro.

Gaara said nothing, but his sand began to flow. Likewise, Ibiki, Tsunade, and even Shizune were all creating seals to protect the upper chamber.

- - - - - - -

But in the lower chamber, Baki was suppressing a sob. Still, his voice sounded choked when he asked, "Where did you get this? How did you know about MY FATHER!"

"What are you talking about? Don't you recognize the corpse?"

"My fa--ther..." Baki squeezed his eyes shut and the lights caught the glistening tear gliding down his face.

"Baki, it is not your father. Look. It is the proctor," said Temari as clearly as she could. She had never seen Baki shed a tear, even when his grandfather had died.

Baki opened his eye and took a deep breath. He tried to speak several times before he finally said, "I don't know anything about this--abomination. The proctor fell on his back, my cuts were to his chest, not his back."

"So how do you explain this?" asked Ibiki.

Baki swallowed, but then his voice rang with rage. "Kabuto!"

- - - - -

In the upper chamber, the name of Kabuto was being repeated as the details fell into place. Iruka used the opportunity to offer a summary.

"Lady Tsunade, I contend that while Mitsuki no Baki did kill Hayate Gekko, he is not the one responsible for the vile mutilation. We have a Suna soldier who was following orders. He saw a threat and eliminated it, just as you would expect any of your shinobi to do. In fact, we can't even call the death an assassination, but a duel. He left the body and the most likely culprit who mutilated it was Kabuto."

"Objection," interrupted Ibiki. "Baki violated the alliance between Wind and Fire countries by pursuing Hayate Gekko."

"But Hayate made the first lethal strike. He drew first blood, but then was killed by a mightier sword. We would not prosecute any Leaf jonin who had a similar encounter," admonished Iruka.

"I concede that Mitsuki no Baki does not have any memory of mutilating the body of Hayate Gekko, but neither do we have evidence that Kabuto did it," said Ibiki emphatically. "In fact, it is possible that Kabuto placed a compulsion on Baki to perform the blood eagle."

Tsunade shook her head, but her words agreed with the Inquisitor. "Baki has strong emotional barriers, but he wouldn't be able to resist a sudden mental attack from a highly trained mind. And we do know that Kabuto is more powerful than we thought."

"Then I will pursue this line of questioning," confirmed Ibiki.

- - - - - -

"It would be so easy to blame Kabuto, wouldn't it? But is there something about you that would make you immune to a compulsion jutsu? Something that would prevent you from acting as a puppet for a man whose talents we've just begun to understand?"

"A compulsion?" repeated Baki. His mind was a torrent of emotion as he realized it was possible.

"Let me give you a chain of events and you tell me how unreasonable they would be." Ibiki's tone was now friendly again. "Kabuto follows you as you chase Hayate because the little twerp doesn't trust anybody. Sound about right?"

"Yes, I could see that," admitted Baki.

"Good. Now, Kabuto sees you kill the proctor, but decides to see how malleable you would be for Orochimaru's use later as an agent in Suna. He sets a compulsion jutsu on you. You mutilate the body, but have no memory of it. Tell me, Mitsuki no Baki. Have you the mental discipline to refute this possibility?"

Baki swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. The thought that he could desecrate a body as his father had been was physically revolting to him. Still, he had to admit, "No, I can't deny the possibility."

Ibiki merely smiled.

- - - - -

Silence fell in the upper chamber.

"Damn he's good," muttered Kankuro. "Ibiki can twist anything to his liking."

"Then it's up to us to untwist it," ventured Temari as she squeezed her brother's hand, but at the moment, she had no clue how.

_End Chapter 5_

**Author Notes:**

Okay, thanks for waiting for this chapter. It's a very busy time of year, but things are relaxing so that I think I can finish this up by Christmas. About a third of the next chapter is written because I kept trying to ram it all into this chapter. Then I decided that was an overload, so here I leave you with another question of what really happened that night.

I don't think anything needs explanation. It's mostly a chapter with dialogue and the prologue was necessary to get the reader to understand that the scene changes are between the Upper and Lower chamber, what Baki hears compared to the discussions that occur outside of his awareness.

I was having fun with Ibiki. And for anyone who ships Ibiki and Anko, well, I like that one, too, although I've painted it here as platonic. But then that's what Ibiki would want you to think, isn't it?

Thanks for reading. I figured I'd probably lose some readers after the last chapter, so thanks for sticking with the story.


	6. Untangling the Web

Summary: The Inquisition is over, but not the trials.

**HOWLING WINDS**  
_**Untangling the Web**_

_Konohagakure  
Inquisition_

The Inquisitor's voice rang with finality. "Lady Tsunade, Honored Councilors, you have heard the truth of the events regarding Hayate Gekko's death. Even if you think of the encounter as a duel, you must still remember the horrible mutilation that occurred. I would argue that you now have sufficient information to sentence Mitsuki no Baki."

A hush fell on the Advocates table. Kankuro spoke first. "How can we prove that Kabuto's the one who ripped apart the proctor's body to make a blood eagle?"

"Some residue of my sand remains with the kill. What of Baki's wind jutsus?" inserted Gaara with a slow blink of his eyes.

"Gaara, you're a genius," whispered Temari. "Lady Hokage, isn't there some way to inspect the pictures of the corpse to determine how the, er, tissue was cut? A Wind blade leaves a distinctive abrasion to the wounds."

"We can inspect the corpse itself," declared Iruka suddenly. "The Gekko family was waiting until Hayate's sister had recovered sufficiently from childbirth to have a proper funeral for him. His body has remained in the morgue with a preservation seal."

"And suppose it shows that Baki did mutilate the body?" asked Ibiki. He looked steadily at each of the Sand siblings and asked, "Can your sensei handle the truth?"

Temari looked down for a moment, but then met the Inquisitor's gaze. "Baki would want to know. The uncertainty would be as bad as verification."

Ibiki nodded. "I have the wounds left on the pig carcass for comparison. Inspecting the wounds on Hayate Gekko would account for Baki's version of the story and establish whether he completed the mutilation."

"I recommend we adjourn from chambers in order to inspect the corpse of Hayate Gekko before we discuss sentencing. Inquisitor, Advocates, come with me. We'll conduct our inspection and report back to the Council. Shizune, stay here to monitor Baki while we're gone. We'll reconvene in thirty minutes."

"Lady Hokage, I would also like to remain behind with Baki," requested Temari. "I trust my brothers to ensure Suna's interests."

"I have no objection; Raido and Genma remain outside as guards," Ibiki stated.

"Very well," agreed Tsunade. "The morgue is in the basement of the hospital. I assume you all know how to get there?"

Kankuro and Gaara nodded and in the next moment were gone with the Leaf nins.

- - - - - -

Shizune and Temari approached the chair that held the Sand jonin. He looked warily at both women and asked, "Where's the Inquisitor?"

"They've gone to inspect Hayate Gekko's body before they pass sentence. They want to see if the wounds from the--the mutilation match with the wounds left by your Wind Sword earlier." Temari put a hand over his arm in reassurance. She turned to Shizune and asked, "They've seen the scar. Can we let him at least have his shirt back?"

"Let me examine him quickly first. Then I recommend letting him sleep," said Shizune as she saw to her task.

"I don't want to sleep. I keep seeing--" Baki let his voice fall off.

"Don't think about that," said Temari as she helped him pull on his shirt. "Think about--what we can do to start an academy in Suna. How can we get the Council to go along with the idea? Regardless of what happens here, you want that, don't you?"

"Yes." Baki actually seemed to relax. "The first thing to do is assure them of the teaching staff, which would of course be you, Kankuro, and Gaara."

"What? But we have no experience in being sensei!" declared Temari.

"Neither did I, but you three lived through it," replied Baki.

"I suppose you expect us to merely add the teaching to the rest of our duties?" grumbled Temari.

"It's best to keep Kankuro busy and out of mischief and for Gaara to learn to interact in a prosocial manner with others." Baki actually smiled as Temari grimaced at his reply. "And for you to have new recruits to boss around."

"I'm not bossy; I just like to keep order to my specifications," countered Temari.

"Right." Baki's voice took a serious tone as he added, "You three are the best of your generation. Furthermore, you know what being in the middle of a war is like. You'll be there to answer questions and to foster an attitude of alliance for Wind and Fire Countries. It's the only way Suna can survive."

And so Baki passed the time with Temari discussing how to implement an academy program in Sunagakure with Shizune inserting comments as necessary.

While this would seem to be a of little consequence to the outcome of the Inquisition, the Leaf Council members who were left in the upper chamber were able to hear the discussion clearly. More than anything that the Advocates could have argued, the interlude revealed more about Mistuki no Baki and the quality of man he was to the people who held his life in their hands.

- - - - - -

_Konoha Morgue_

"I'm glad Shizune isn't here to see this. Did you have to use a pig?" asked Tsunade as the animal carcass was wheeled in beside the body of Hayate Gekko. She was glad Tonton was in her rooms at the Tower today.

"It's the best match for mass and bone structure," replied Ibiki easily. Personally, he didn't care for the Hokage's pet pig. It always oinked at him in an odd way. "The cut at the carotid is made with a kunai. We can use that as a control for the Wind Sword."

In the meantime, Kankuro felt around his pockets and distinguished between the new prism Kagami had given him and the scope she had let him keep from the Crystal Caves. He withdrew the spyglass to get a close look at the tissue while Gaara executed a familiar hand seal.

Soon Gaara's Eye was bobbing along between the cuts on Hayate Gekko's torso and the ones on the carcass. "I see an abrasion pattern that leaves the tissue cut at an angle on both the pig and the man."

"We concur," said Tsunade. "Ibiki, please turn the body."

"I'll help you," offered Iruka. He had been standing the furthest from the body of his old friend and teammate until that moment. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and whispered, "Hayate, forgive me for defending your killer, but I think you'd be the first to see that his death would not balance out your life."

The Leaf nins turned the body over so that the back was exposed. The ribs and lungs had been properly replaced, but the cuts were still in view. Tsunade's lips thinned into a grim line, but she stepped forward and pulled up on the cut ribs of one side to allow close inspection of the gruesome wound.

Again, all eyes inspected the wounds. It was Kankuro's frustrated exclamation that drew it to a halt.

"It's a kunai. That means it's inconclusive, doesn't it?" asked the Puppet Master of the Inquisitor. "You'll just say that Baki used a kunai to do this."

Ibiki didn't have a chance to respond before Gaara, whose Eye was still hovering eerily over the cut, declared, "Kunai cannot saw through bone. The skin was cut with kunai, but that weapon does little more than pierce a bone plate."

"You're pretty observant," agreed Tsunade.

"Does Baki have any training as a medic nin?" asked Ibiki abruptly.

"Just basic first aid for the field. You know, diminish bruising, prevent swelling, seal a cut until we get to proper help," replied Kankuro. "Why do you ask?"

"Because medic nins can use chakra to enhance the cutting edge of a blade. Even a kunai could be used to cut through bone," informed Tsunade.

"Then we have more circumstantial evidence that points to Kabuto again," said Iruka, but his tone was still tentative.

Tsunade sighed. "Ideally I'd like to get evidence of Kabuto's involvement. There were other Sound nins in the village and there are other medic nins. It's possible Kabuto wasn't the only traitor."

"We would need some method of detecting residual chakra signatures. It would take a special instrument like a _shirosanryoukou_ to tell us who the culprit is, but we haven't had such a prism for years," Ibiki stated.

"A what?" asked Kankuro as he closed his scope and tucked it into his pocket next to Kagami's prism.

"A _shirosanryoukou_."

"S_hirosanryoukou_?" repeated Kankuro as his lips curled around the word and his finger absently tapped at the prism. "A _shirosanryoukou_!" He grabbed Iruka's shoulder and laughed as he again repeated, "A _shirosanryoukou_!"

Iruka turned to Gaara in confusion to murmur, "Is he having a fit?"

"No, this is perfectly normal," assured Gaara.

Suddenly Kankuro pulled out the prism from his pocket. "A _shirosanryoukou_! It's a prism that can reveal residual chakra signatures with the proper seals. It turns a cloudy white."

Kankuro had left Ibiki speechless, no mean task to accomplish. The Inquisitor blinked before taking it from the boy and looked at it closely. He invoked a seal and it became as fog. "I'll be damned, it does act like a _shirosanryoukou._"

"You are an odd fellow," said Tsunade as she accepted the prism from Ibiki. "You bring enough diamonds to ransom a country and now you produce a rare instrument."

"I have connections," explained Kankuro blithely. He bowed solemnly, although he crossed his fingers. "I offer this as a gift, Lady Hokage. If you can use it, if it will help vindicate Baki, then please, take it."

"Kankuro, you don't know if it will work," whispered Gaara in his ear.

"Kagami is a crystal master; it will work," assured Kankuro with more confidence than he felt.

Tsunade gave it to Ibiki and said, "It looks like an authentic _shirosanryoukou_. You should verify it isn't a trick."

Ibiki took the prism and then directed, "Perform a simple jutsu while my back is turned. I'll give you one minute. Surprise me."

At the end of the designated time, the Inquisitor turned and placed the prism before his eyes to review the residuals.

"Gaara performed a sand drawing jutsu that looked oddly like me except with horns. Kankuro used chakra strings to put the digits of his puppet into a rude gesture."

Ibiki turned to look at Iruka and Tsunade. "Iruka performed a log substitution jutsu and Lady Tsunade performed _henge_ to resemble Anko Mitarashi." Who had blown a kiss at him, but Ibiki didn't mention that. He was just grateful Tsunade stood behind the others and out of their view.

His test subjects all nodded in affirmation, except for Tsunade who had to add a wink to her accession.

The jonin said, "The prism is very effective on recent jutsus. Tracing the residual after all this time might be at its limits."

"We need to find a patient treated by Kabuto. That would be the best way to match for the chakra signature," announced Tsunade. "How long will that take?"

Ibiki thought for a moment before suggesting, "We just need to send for Hinata Hyuuga. After debriefing the spectators at the arena, I discovered that Kabuto had performed a healing jutsu on Lady Hinata during the earlier matches. Kiba Inuzuka described the same mask we saw Kabuto wearing in the arena."

"I saw Hinata as we entered the hospital," declared Iruka with a smile. Although he had seen her peeking into the room where Naruto was resting, he said, "She was probably visiting her cousin, Neiji."

"Iruka, go with Ibiki to find Hinata. We should spare her the morgue," said Tsunade. "Boys, you stay here with me."

Kankuro muttered quietly to Gaara, "Imagine what Temari's gonna be like when she's an old woman."

"Don't think I didn't hear that," commented Tsunade.

Kankuro cringed for a moment, but then asked, "So, do you gamble, Lady Hokage?"

- - - - -

"Hinata, hello," said Iruka softly as he approached the girl. Sure enough they had found her hovering on a bench between Naruto's room and her cousin's.

"Um, Iruka-sensei. H-Hello," replied the girl as a blush suffused her cheeks. Her index fingers were tapping together nervously. "I was, er, checking up on Neiji and, and the others."

"I hear they'll all be fine, Hinata," assured Iruka as he knelt beside her. "You remember Captain Morino, right? From the chunin exams?"

Ibiki bowed to the girl, but kept his distance so as not to spook her. Having the girl faint would waste precious time.

"Hello, C-Captain Morino," offered Hinata, but her anxiety was increasing. She wasn't in trouble for stalking or something? She was just curious about her precious people. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, no, not all, Hinata. In fact, we think you can help us settle a question. We just need you to sit still and let Captain Morino look at you for moment to test a special prism. You can close your eyes in fact." Iruka put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Go ahead, just close your eyes and I'll tell you when to open them, all right."

"All right," agreed Hinata. She frowned and said, "Do I need to invoke Byakugan?"

"That won't be necessary," replied Ibiki with a surprisingly soft tone. "All done. Thank you, Lady Hinata, your cooperation was invaluable."

Hinata blushed in response, but a smile graced her face. It was rare that she received a compliment.

Iruka tussled the top of her head and bade her goodbye.

- - - - - -

"How does he do that?" asked Tsunade of Gaara. "That's the twentieth time your brother has beaten me at jenken."

"Perhaps you just have poor luck," replied Gaara. He knew he'd been too direct when his brother kicked his foot, so he fell silent before elaborating on probability.

Kankuro merely shrugged and said, "I've had years of practice against Temari."

The conversation was interrupted when the door to the morgue opened to allow Ibiki and Iruka to return.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm confident I can distinguish Kabuto's work," announced Ibiki. "But I need to move quickly. This _shirosanryoukou_ is fading and may not be strong enough for the purpose. It's already beginning to hum."

"Proceed," directed the Hokage.

Ibiki inspected the body and now all could hear the humming emanating from the prism.

"What's going on?" whispered Iruka, but it was a question the Sand nins also had.

"The prism is fragile by nature. When it's reaching its limits, the structure of the crystal begins to hum in a resonance that reflects it's losing its structural integrity." Tsunade waved them to stand away from Ibiki and the corpse.

In the meantime, Ibiki was performing another set of hand seals to stabilize the prism. His job was to get to the truth and he had no personal investment in whether Baki had acted under a compulsion or Kabuto had desecrated the corpse. Either way, Konoha would know.

The anticipation rose in the morgue until the humming crescendoed into the sound of shattering glass. Gaara's sand shield rose immediately to protect the Hokage, Iruka, and his brother.

When he lowered the sand, they saw Ibiki had covered his eyes with his left hand. Pieces of crystal shards impaled his right hand and the blood was running freely.

"Ibiki!" Tsunade went quickly to the jonin.

As she pulled out the shards and healed Ibiki's wounds, Gaara used his sand to collect three larger fragments of the prism that remained. He offered them to his brother silently.

"Thanks, bro," said Kankuro. He felt his gut twisting at the thought that he had destroyed Kagami's creation, perhaps for nothing.

"I'm all right," assured Ibiki as he pulled his hand out of Tsuanade's.

"Wait, there's a shard in your cheek," said Tsunade as she tugged it out and healed behind it.

"Just another scar," said Ibiki with a shrug.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Well? Report."

Ibiki smirked.

- - - - - -

_Konohagkure  
Inquisition_

When the thirty minutes had passed, the lower chamber emptied to leave the Wind Sword alone to hear his sentence.

"Mitsuki no Baki, under the circumstances you described, we are willing to acknowledge that your encounter with Hayate Gekko best fits a duel rather than an assassination," began Tsunade. "However, the Inquisition has found you guilty of the death of Hayate Gekko and for betraying the alliance that existed at that time between Konoha and Suna. This carries a penalty of death."

Baki showed no response to this other than a quick nod of his head. The death sentence he had accepted weeks ago. What he feared most was whether he had been used to perform the blood eagle.

"It is also clear from close inspection of the wounds on the corpse that--"

It took a moment for the information to register on the Sand jonin.

"--Kabuto Yakushi was responsible for the mutilation of the body. We verified his residual chakra signature with a _shirosanryoukou._"

Baki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At least he could face his execution with a clean conscience about desecrating the body. He heard the Hokage continue.

"However, Konoha sees the value of your presence on the Ruling Council of Suna. We acknowledge that you did not use lethal force in the arena during the invasion and that you called an immediate retreat that prevented further loss of lives. Furthermore, judging by the destruction of the forest, we appreciate the fact that you sent your students away from the population center before a demon was unleashed on Konohagakure itself.

Your contributions to the provisional treaty, your voluntary surrender to Konoha, and the restraint exhibited during two assassination attempts on your life under our custody also indicate personal standards of conduct that we in Konoha value. Your positive influence on your students, who volunteered with their lives to demonstrate the alliance between Suna and Konoha, is also noteworthy.

As such, Mitsuki no Baki, we have deferred execution in exchange for immediate banishment from Konoha. You have twenty-four hours to leave our border. You are prohibited from setting foot in Konoha again on pain of death. Should you violate this edict, know that your life is forfeit and that no one would be prosecuted for your death, regardless of the circumstances. This Inquisition is now closed."

Kankuro refrained from an immature whoop until the Leaf Council had exited, then the sound reverberated around them. He squeezed the breath out of his sister and even kissed her cheek.

He pulled back to say, "Hey, no crying, sis! He did it. Baki lives!"

Then the Puppet Master jumped down to Baki's side followed quickly by Gaara.

"Hey, wait, I need to release the seals," called Tsunade in an irritated voice before following them down with Ibiki at her side.

Iruka hugged Temari and offered her a handkerchief to dry her tears. "I hope the next time we see you, you'll be a teacher as well."

With that Temari joined her brothers to find Tsunade and Ibiki had already removed the seals that restrained Baki's chakra and restored his normal mental barriers. Baki was now able to move and was rubbing his temples.

"Make sure we don't meet again," said Ibiki as he walked out behind Tsunade.

"Only in my nightmares," assured Baki.

"You're free, Baki," said Temari, then gave in to the impulse to throw herself at him for a quick, reassuring hug.

Baki hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture. It felt good to have physical contact with the real world and not feel suspended in space and time. When Temari released the hug, her brothers took her place to badger him.

"We knew you'd do it," said Kankuro as he punched the Sand nin in the shoulder.

"Ow, that hurt," murmured Baki.

"Really? Oh, man, I didn't mean--"

"I'm kidding, Kankuro," admitted Baki immediately.

"Can you really see nothing out of your left eye?" asked Gaara suddenly. He even leaned in to inspect it for himself.

"Back off, boys," ordered Temari. "Let's get out of here."

"That's a good idea," said Iruka as he suddenly appeared to the Sand nins while Baki was draping his face. "Twenty-four hours doesn't give you much time to get to the border, especially with someone in Baki's weakened state. But that's not all."

"Come on, Dolphin man, don't burst my bubble about being home free now," pleaded Kankuro.

"Look, it's just a hunch, but, well, remember Yugao?"

"The Panther who tried to kill me?" said Baki with a nod.

"She's on border duty," began Iruka, "in the area that gives you the fastest route home."

"We can't afford a detour or we'll violate the time limit," observed Gaara.

"Thanks for the warning," said Temari gratefully.

"I'll meet you at the gates with some field rations and water. I wish I could do more, but..." Iruka shrugged.

Baki smiled at the man and extended his hand. Gaara watched closely as the Leaf nin took the jonin's hand and clasped it, then they pumped their arms in a handshake. "You have been a friend, Iruka Umino. And a good lesson in Kohoha's true strength."

Iruka left and Kankuro moved to put an arm around Baki's shoulder to help him stand. "Let's get this show on the road. Looks like the fun's not over yet."

_- - - - - - - -_

_Trail to Konoha Border_

The Suna nins had one simple goal: Get Baki across the border into Rain Country, which directly bordered Konoha on the East and Suna on the West, before the sun set in the horizon on the following day. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy matter. As soon as they had set foot outside of Konohagakure, the heavens had opened up and began drenching them in rain.

"Why now?" grumbled Kankuro. He pulled out Karasu and activated his eyes to shine like headlights into the night.

"I hate wet," grimaced Gaara with an eye on the heavens.

"I'll use my tessen to shield us from the rain," offered Temari. "We'll travel five hours, rest for one, and continue that pattern until we make the border. Surely it can't rain for long."

After the first rest period, Temari was concerned by how weak the Inquisition had left Baki. Although he was walking on his own volition, it was clear that their pace was greatly compromised. "Maybe we should carry you in a litter?"

"I'll get to Suna on my own two feet," replied Baki stubbornly. He was in a dark mood as the mental backlash from the Inquisition lingered and fatigue set in. The stormy atmosphere merely amplified this negative affect. "Although at the moment, I think I would have preferred an efficient beheading to wallowing through this sludge."

Indeed, as they completed their next leg, although Temari's fan simulated an umbrella, the muddy ground was only growing more slippery. By the time they made their next stop, they were literally slogging through a river of mud.

_Crack! Flash!_

A large tree exploded in front of them as lightning struck. Kankuro used chakra strings as a lever to capture the enormous trunk and divert it away from them. "Man, you'd think Konoha doesn't want us to make it to the border. You sure they have no Weather nins?"

Baki looked at the tree in the early morning light that filtered through the storm clouds. Then he registered the downward slope that extended before them for several miles "We don't need a Weather nin; we need an engineer. Kankuro, do you think if we smooth out that trunk we can glide on the mud?"

"I gotcha, it's all downhill for a while at least. We'd lose our rest period, but a mud sled would help us make up for lost time," said Kankuro. He began twisting branches together with chakra strings to form a shelter over the newly made stump emerging from the ground. "Gaara. shove your gourd under here to keep the rain off it."

After Gaara deposited his gourd, Temari pushed Baki underneath the shelter as well. "Baki, huddle under there and don't get sick."

But the jonin walked out of the shelter and argued, "Temari, I can--"

The kunoichi merely turned with hands on her hips to give Baki her death glare. "Look, I know that normally, you're the strongest of us, but this isn't normal. Nothing about this damn mission has been normal!" Temari's chest was now heaving with her outburst.

She now backed the jonin under the canopy by poking at his chest with her finger. "And I hate having droopy, waterlogged ponytails, so don't argue with me or I'll knock you out with my tessen before you figure out yet another way to sacrifice your life or well being. Got it?"

Baki thought she was bluffing until she unfolded her fan with a loud snap, so the the Wind Sword master actually sulked and crossed his arms sullenly over his chest before sitting on the stump.

Then Temari surprised them all by saying, "Stand clear of the damn log!"

She smeared blood across the Mitsuki fan and summoned her one-eyed weasel. They watched as a cyclone of wind cut the branches from the log in just a few seconds.

"Please tell me you find my sister a very scary woman?" pleaded Kankuro to Baki.

"Oh yeah," verified the jonin. Baki also realized he'd put the girl through an emotional wringer. And she was right about his need to conserve any energy. Still, he could give orders.

"Kankuro, use Karasu's knives to scoop out seating for us. Add a keel for some control while you're at it. It's not a boat, but what the hell. Gaara, see if you have just enough dry sand to polish the trunk..."

Soon they were discussing the seating arrangements that would give them maximum momentum.

"Look, it's best if Temari rides at the back end so that she can use some Wind power to move us along," Baki finally decided. "Kankuro, you can steer using chakra strings in the front. We'll continue to use Temari's tessen as a canopy so that Gaara can use his sand if we get into a pinch. As for me, I'll just be dead weight, so I'll sit in the back."

"All right, get on. This is gonna be the ride of your life!" exclaimed Kankuro.

- - - - - -

_Whoosh! Rattle, rattle. Thunk. Whoosh!_

It was like riding a roller coaster that, although it was gliding forward, produced a jarring ride. As they stopped for their next rest period, they all had trouble finding their feet.

"My sand has settled," observed Gaara as he peered into his gourd with one eye.

"I think Karusu has several screws jarred loose," groaned Kankuro as one of his puppet's eyes plopped into his hand. He began desperately screwing it back in.

"I've lost all of my ponytail holders," declared Temari as she looked around to see if they'd conveniently fallen onto the log. Her blond hair was now sleekly falling around her face.

"I'm just numb," said Baki. "All over."

The siblings had to help him out, but the good news was that they had made up for their slower pace at the beginning and it had stopped raining. Temari was happy because she now folded her fan and hugged it as if it were a recovered friend. But as they were finishing their latest repast of field rations, they heard an ominous sound.

_Crack. Crash. Swoosh._

"What the hell is that?" asked Kankuro as he stood up.

"Mud slide! Quick, back on the log!" declared Baki.

They scrambled on board and barely had time to gain their seats when they were swept in a torrent of mud.

"Steer left, no, right, no..." "Watch the tree!" "Watch the bumps!" "Where'd the forest go?"

This last came from Baki as he realized they were falling like a log in thin air. Four heads swerved simultaneously to see the edge of the cliff spewing a waterfall of mud behind them.

"Temari, updraft, now!" called Baki.

With all her might, Temari called the wind to give just enough uplift to make a splash landing on the water below rather than plunging them with vertical force.

Kankuro he sat up and looked around. "Damn, we landed in water. Walking on it will use up all of Baki's chakra!"

Kankuro shook his head in growing despair. The he felt Gaara give him a dope slap before saying, "It's water. The log is floating."

"Yeah, but--" Kankuro blushed. He was so used to not thinking about waterways that it hadn't registered.

"Kankuro, did you get hit on the head? I mean before Gaara thunked you?" asked Temari.

"Look, I'm a tried and true Suna nin, okay? We don't travel on water."

"There's one thing you're all missing," reminded Baki.

"What's that?" asked Temari as she turned to look at him.

"The current is going the wrong way. It's taking us back to Konohagakure."

"Ah, man, this sucks," declared Kankuro. He unwound Karasu and pulled off two of the puppets limbs, one of which he gave to Gaara. "Come on, bro, you may not be able to use your sand, but we can give those puny arms of yours a workout. We have to paddle against the current."

"I don't have puny arms," protested Gaara, "I'm just wiry."

"Uh huh," agreed Temari, who could bench press more than either of her brothers. She looked sadly at her fan. "I suppose we need a, what's it called?"

"A rudder, and yes, your fan would be perfect," assured Baki. "A bit of wind power would also help."

"Good thing I have more arm muscle than my brothers," sighed Temari as she plunked her precious weapon into the water.

From the front of the log came the synchronous response, "I heard that!"

- - - - - - -

"Row, row, row your log, paddle like a dog! Wearily, wearily, wearily, wearily, sounding like a frog! Ooo-ooh, row, row, row--"

"I'm not kidding. Sing it one more time and I will crush every jar of _ogure_ in Sunagakure," warned Gaara. He stopped short of threatening to kill his brother because that would mean more paddling for him--against the current!

"It keeps me in rhythm, bro," grumbled Kankuro. "Poor Karasu! It's bad enough we're using his limbs as paddles."

"Hey, what about my tessen! It's been used as an umbrella, now as a rudder! And my hair is in my face! I'm going to chop it all off, I swear."

"Don't do that, Temari. What would Jiro have to play with when he climbs on your head?" asked Baki.

Temari smiled. "You're sounding more like yourself."

"That's because we'll soon be on land." Baki raised his voice and called, "We're heading for that bank on the left. Then if we follow the setting sun, we should be in Rain Country by the deadline."

Everyone seemed to relax after that. The day had cleared of clouds and although the ground was damp, there was no river of mud. Gaara swatted at a few flies experimentally with his Sand, very pleased to have regained control, not to mention it felt good to kill something. Kankuro screwed Karasu's limbs back and carefully wrapped the puppet as if a parent were swaddling a baby.

And Temari turned when she heard a ripping sound. Baki tore strips from the material that draped his face and said, "Here. For your hair."

Temari's deft hands combed through her hair to untangle the worse of it and soon had her four ponytails back in place. "Not ideal, but it will do. Thanks."

Baki then turned to Gaara and put a hand on the boy's shoulder before he directed, "Gaara, you have the best endurance of us all. Go ahead at maximum pace into into Rain Country. At the first village, send a hawk to Sunagakure and procure some sort of transportation for us that is not a log," directed Baki. "We'll meet you there."

"I'll come back to find you," replied Gaara.

"Hey, see if you can find some _ogure_!" called Kankuro after him. "Looks like luck has turned in our favor. We haven't even run into that psycho panther that you and Iruka were worried about."

"I'll feel better once I'm out of Konoha," said Baki. He made his decision quickly, "Come on, let's sprint for the border."

Everyone assumed their mission pace then. Safety awaited them in just a few miles and if Baki collapsed in Rain Country, then it would be a simple matter of waiting for Gaara to come with help.

They saw the wooden gateway marking the border just as the sun set. Kankuro and Temari suddenly fell into a race. The two were whooping with victorious laughter while Baki had slowed to a walk.

"Come on, one more step, Baki," called Kankuro and Temari when they turned their attention to the jonin.

"Shut it, I'll get there," replied Baki as he made his limbs move.

One long stride put one foot outside the Konoha border. One more followed and Baki stooped over with his hand on his knees. He took deep breaths as he stood finally free of Fire Country.

"We did it!" Kankuro and Temari were busy bumping into each other in glee when they heard an odd sound.

_Swish._

They turned to look at Baki again only to see a rope that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It fell over their Sensei's shoulders and pinned his arms, dragging him back across the Konoha side of the border.

"Not so fast, Butcher."

The words came from a purple-haired woman masked as a Konoha ANBU. Yugao Uzuki had been waiting patiently and now held a sword to Baki's neck, although they could see another strapped to her back. Baki was wrapped tightly in the rope where she held him kneeling at her feet facing his team.

"It looks like you've violated the conditions of your deferred execution, but die knowing there is justice in the world because Hayate's sword will take your life."

Temari immediately unfolded her fan and cursed the fast communication system Konoha had with its border guards.

"Temari, no. Stand down," called Baki. "Back off, both of you. We don't need another incident between Wind and Fire."

"She's the bitch who's causing an incident," declared Temari, but she had caught the gleam in Baki's eye. It happened when he felt the heat of battle and the surge of adrenaline. Furthermore, he had just sent a hand signal to Kankuro.

"It's your call, Baki," began her brother. "Just remember that I'm the one who'll have to deal with a pissed off Temari if you get yourself killed now. Show some mercy, will ya? Now, get this over with quickly."

And with that Kankuro suddenly extended chakra strings to pull the sword from the sheath on Yugao's back. It flashed downward quickly to cut the rope that bound Baki and fell into his left hand.

Baki immediately rolled away from Yugao's strikes although she nicked his neck, then sent her tumbling over him when she lunged in another attack.

Yugao quickly rose to a crouch and assumed a wary stance. "You can't wield that sword; the report said you injured your right hand."

Baki smiled grimly at the woman. First, you shake their confidence. He kept the sword in his left hand and spun it expertly.

"The report is correct," confirmed Baki. "What of it?"

"You're ambidextrous!" Yugao was incredulous at the thought.

Second, you get your opponent riled and he knew just what buttons to push with the Panther.

"And desperate. Kankuro's right. Temari getting pissed off scares me a lot more than a little girl who can't let go of her dumbass lover who got himself killed by playing spy. Shouldn't an ANBU like you have been the one chasing down Kabuto? Or has wearing that mask cut off the oxygen so long you've got brain damage? That's what has you forcing this vendetta, isn't it? The guilt. It wasn't Hayate's task to find Kabuto, it was yours!"

Yugao said nothing, but she ripped off her ANBU mask and lunged with lethal force. They traded a series of strikes, but Baki blocked her effectively. Still, she was able to wound his leg.

But the third rule was to know your limits. Baki estimated he only had enough energy left for three strikes with the sword.

Yugao lunged, he blocked, and she feinted quickly to aim at his gut, but his sword twisted around hers. He used his elbow to knock her back against the wooden gate. His next strike slipped below her armor and pinned her right side to the wooden post.

Yugao's hand dropped Hayate's sword and it fell to the ground, but Baki picked it up and seemed to inspect the sharp edge.

"By all reports, this is the weapon of a good man. He died honorably in battle, not in a sickbed. I saw him demonstrate remarkable skill with this sword."

Baki then lunged and thrust the sword deeply into his target.

"But off all things I learned about Hayate Gekko, I envy him only one. He was lucky to have a woman love him deeply. I will not kill that woman because such a good man would have wanted her to live."

The Wind Master looked at the sword that still reverberated with force just to the right of Yugao's neck. "Look for your death elsewhere, Yugao Uzuki."

Baki walked away from her, took the step necessary to leave Konoha, and collapsed as his team caught him.

- - - - -

_Rain Country_

Kagami Shugyoku ran forward quickly with a glowing orb lighting her way in the dark night. She was drawn to the chakra signal that the tokens she had sent carried. Suddenly a dark shape jumped out at her. She expected to see Kankuro's familiar visage, but instead met a sinister face . She screamed.

"Eeeie!"

"Kankuro, what's happening?" called Temari from behind the large tree where they had found shelter.

"I'm scaring the hell out of--Kagami? Hey, is that really you? Don't you recognize me?" His voice was full of concern. Could you give a healthy girl a heart attack?

Kagami was now blushing with embarrassment. She punched the Puppeteer on the shoulder and said, "Kankuro! You mention that I screamed to my cousins and I'll rip off the ears from your--your--whatever it is you're wearing!"

Kankuro shoved his cowl off his head and suddenly grabbed Kagami in a tight hug and twirled around with her. "It's good so see you! I can't believe you're here."

"Kagami did not come alone," said a low toned masculine voice. Lord Houshou Shugyoku appeared with Gaara at his side. "Greetings, Puppet Master."

Kankuro immediately dropped his hands from Kagami's shoulders and bowed formally, "My Lord Shugyoku, you are a welcome sight. I thought you didn't leave the Crystal Caves."

"Only under special circumstances," admitted Houshou. "We knew Baki was meeting you to go to Konoha, and when Kagami felt the _shirosanryoukou_ break, we feared something was wrong. Kagami convinced me to let her search for her chakra signatures on the tokens she had made for you. It helped that you sent Gaara ahead to look for help."

"Lord Shugyoku conceals himself well," admitted Gaara. "He found me."

"Who found--!" began Temari as she helped Baki shuffle from behind the tree where they had been sheltered. "Kagami!"

"Temari, not in my ear," pleaded Baki. "You're seeing things."

"Look up, Baki, it is Kagami and her uncle," said Temari. The jonin did as she directed, but could only nod in greeting.

"Baki, my friend, if I may be blunt, you look like hell," observed Houshou as he moved forward to support the jonin.

"Konoha called it an Inquisition," explained Baki.

"Say no more, I'll get the full story when you're in shape to talk. We came on the glass condors." Houshou shifted the glowing orb to shine on the transparent birds. The long, glass wings gleamed in the light with the bodies appearing like a large, glass blown ornament, one clearly three times the size of the smaller one.

"You can all ride safely in the condor so that you can rest at the Crystal Caves for a few days before returning to Sunagakure," said Houshou in a tone that brooked no argument. He made a hand seal and the glass belly opened. Houshou helped Temari get Baki inside and soon the jonin was asleep again with his head resting on Temari's lap.

"Cool," said Kankuro as he moved to touch the gleaming body of the smaller condor. "Wish I could ride on top. Bet it would be fun."

"Be my guest; I'm going for comfort," muttered Gaara. He marched inside and sat down, then fashioned a cushion of sand that he and Temari could sit against.

"Kankuro can ride with me, Uncle," said Kagami with confidence. "I promise not to dump him."

"If you trust my niece, then ride with her," said Houshou, then he resealed the belly of his condor and leapt on top of his avian mount. "Let's waste no more time. We need the cover of the night to fly."

Kankuro and Kagami leapt onto the smaller condor and then she directed, "Put your hands around my wai--Hey, no tickling!"

"My bad," murmured Kankuro into her ear and settled his hands to clasp in front of her waist. As Kagami waited for the larger condor to clear the ground, he said, "Look, Kagami, I'm sorry I broke the prism like that. I didn't realize it would hurt you."

"Don't worry, it's not like it was painful. I just knew something had destroyed it," assured Kagami.

"I've kept the pieces," said Kankuro as he fished them out of his pocket to show her.

Kagami took them and looked like she was about to toss them away when Kankuro grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?"

"It's worthless glass now," said Kagami. She felt embarrassed about how poorly her first attempt at a _shirosanryoukou_ performed. "I couldn't make it strong enough to last through a single use."

"It's not worthless to me," assured Kankuro as his hand closed over her fist. He opened her hand and took the shards back. "I can still use the pieces to create rainbows."

"You're a dope, you know," said Kagami, but she turned to grace him with one of her rare smiles as the condor began to rise.

"Yeah, but because of this broken prism," began Kankuro when the condor suddenly rose, "Baki lives!"

- - - - - - -

_Orochimaru's Lair_

Orochimaru was in a rather pleasant mood. Although the body he inhabited was not his first choice, it would suffice for the next few years. Sasuke Uchiha was now in his domain. The Sound nins he had lost were pawns, easily replaced. And now Kabuto had told him that Baki, the jonin from Suna, had surrendered to Konoha's custody for the murder of Hayate Gekko.

"So Baki has turned himself in? You must find the news rather amusing," observed Orochimaru as Kabuto tended to him.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose. "I do find it satisfying that my penchant for details worked in our favor. When I took the recording from the weather camera, I was only thinking of covering up for our friendly Sand nin. The imbecile didn't even think to check for monitoring devices."

"But you didn't stop there," reminded Orochimaru.

"I created the blood eagle knowing it would make me the most likely suspect for the killing. My actions kept the Sand nins safe, but I don't suppose they'll ever appreciate it," replied Kabuto.

"I thought you always wanted to rip Hayate's lungs out. Didn't you once tell me you found his incessant coughing annoying?"

"Well, I didn't say I didn't enjoy my work," admitted Kabuto with a smirk. "Still, I didn't think Baki would actually surrender to Konoha. I only sought to sow the seeds of distrust when I sent the recording from the camera to the Hokage to give them someone other than me to blame for the death. Baki's execution is inevitable."

"Wind Country will be even weaker with Baki eliminated, his precious students ripe for plucking. I bet the boy, the Puppet Master, would be approachable. And perhaps the girl. We do need replacements and they were strong enough to defeat Sound nins."

As Kabuto was smiling at his master, an urgent knock on the door occurred, "Lord Orochimaru! News, my lord! From Konoha."

Kabuto said with assurance as he walked to the door, "It's probably about the execution."

The medic accepted the scroll and unrolled it. Silence.

"Well? When did they kill him? How did they kill him?" Orochimaru leaned forward, "Was it poison? Decapitation?"

Kabuto looked up, the light glinting off his glances and declared, "Baki lives!"

Silence. Orochimaru sat back and groused, "Kabuto, quit being so melodramatic and get out of here."

_End of Howling Winds _

Author Notes:

Edited to take care of some spacing and punctuation issues. My copy looked fine, but the transformation to what was posted deleted spaces and periods. Odd.

That wraps up this story. Don't think I need to explain much. According to the one map I've been able to find of Naruto countries, Suna and Konoha are separated by Rain Country. The Shugyoku clan consists of original rather than canon characters.

I never understood why Kabuto would help Hinata when she was having a health crisis during the chunin exams, but I found it useful for this story. Also, Orochimaru's attitude about the Sound nins he lost is rather cold in the series. Although the discussion between Kabuto and Orochimaru is my own creation, I do wonder what would have happened if the Sand Siblings had been left completely on their own and without an adult they could trust.

Yes, I will be working on another story regarding the Rescue Matsuri Arc as I try to figure out how our favorite sibs make jonin. It will probably be in about a month.

Thanks for reading and for the faithful reviews. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays.


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